The Last Tear
by princessjasmine12
Summary: Byron has to stay with Ella in the hospital because she has cancer. Aria needs a place to stay. What happens when Byron's new colleague Ezra seems like the only option? *Ezra was never Aria's teacher*
1. Chapter 1

**This idea randomly popped into my head. If I get seven or more reviews on this, I'll continue. If not, I won't. Aria doesn't know Ezra, and Ezra was never Aria's teacher. **

"I need to be with you, Ella!" I faintly heard Byron exclaim as I quickly ran through the deserted hallway towards the hospital room.

What was happening?

I had been in the middle of doing my biology homework when I had gotten a call from Byron telling me to come with Mike to the hospital. He had not explained, but only said that Ella was hurt, before quickly hanging up.

"What's going on?" I quickly burst into the room, Mike following closely behind me.

Ella looked up, flustered from her argument with Byron, who also looked anxious as he watched his wife.

"Mom, what happened?" Mike quickly made his way over to Ella and grabbed her hand as he willed her to tell him what had happened.

"Nothing sweetie, I'll be okay." Ella assured him as she stroked Mike's hand.

"Dad?" I asked Byron with a frightened look on my face, as I noted the IV stuck in Ella's arm. "What happened?"

Before he had the chance to respond, however, the door burst open and a dark haired man who could not be older than twenty-four walked into the room with a bottle of water in his hands.

As the man's eyes quickly searched the room, they suddenly stopped as they landed on mine. My breath caught painfully in my chest as our eyes met, his blue on my hazel. I could not help the blush that crept up on my cheeks as he gave me a small smile. I had to admit that that boyish smile was pretty adorable.

"Thanks, Ezra." Byron thanked the man as he grabbed a glass that was sitting on a table beside Ella's bed and poured some of the water into it. Byron handed it to Ella before turning to face me again.

"What happened to mom?" I asked again, fear coursing quicker through my veins every moment he spent delaying telling me the truth.

"Your mother has cancer." Byron finally revealed, with a painful look in his eyes.

My vision suddenly became fuzzy as the images around me all became distorted. This could not be possible. The mother who I had grown to know and love, was now battling cancer? The person who used to read me stories at night before bed. The person who used to rock me to sleep every night. The person who taught me how to read and write. The person who taught me to braid my hair and put on mascara.

She's spent the last sixteen years watching me grow up and teaching me everything I needed to know.

I felt tears begin to slowly cascade down my cheeks as my mind processed Byron's words. I sunk down onto the hospital bed beside my mother as the sobs began to take over.

What were the chances of her making her way out of this alive? I was not ready to lose my mother! She was my best friend! We told each other everything! She is the one who I go to when I'm having a bad day, or when I don't understand my history homework! Who is going to be there for me when I'm hurting? Who is going to comfort me when I'm in pain? Who's going to hold me when I need reassurance that I'm worth it all? Who's going to remind me that I'm loved in those moments when I don't feel loved? Whenever I feel down, she always knows the right words to say to help me feel better again. Ella is the one who's helped me get through all the pain that came with losing my best friend Alison. She's believed in me during all the times I doubted myself. She always picked me up whenever I fell down! I couldn't have all the love she provided me with taken away from me!

I finally gathered the strength to look at Ella; however, the look in her eyes only portrayed that of love. I broke down crying once again, my body shaking with each new round of sobs. Ella took me in her arms and held me close against her, as tears begun to slide down her own cheeks as well.

"It's gonna be okay." Ella murmured softly as she stroked her fingers through my hair in a comforting manner.

"I can't lose you, mom." I whispered into her shoulder as I held her against me, needing to feel her body against mine.

All the times we spent together rushed through my mind. The endless hours we would spend shopping together on Saturday nights, laughing about how Byron was going to freak out when he found out how much money we had spent. The late nights we stayed up watching movies and eating ice cream in the moonlight. The lazy days we spent together lounging beside the pool, sipping ice-cold glasses of lemonade. The tears we shared when Alison was killed. The number of moments that could unite us seemed endless before, but now… her days were numbered.

"If you want me to leave…" I heard the man who was still standing in the room say quietly.

I looked up from my mother's shoulder and wiped some of my tears away.

"Actually…" Byron began. "I'd like to talk to you and Aria for a moment."

"Why? What's going on?" I looked between the man and my father.

Byron sighed heavily before responding. "Since your mother is going to be spending some time in the hospital, I won't be able to stay at home with you and Mike. All your friends are out of town for Christmas and you need somewhere to stay."

"Dad, we'll be fine at home. I'm sixteen. I can take care of Mike." I assured him.

Byron quickly shook his head in disagreement.

"Actually, Ezra," Byron gestured to the dark haired man standing beside him. "Is a good colleague of mine. I was even his teacher while he was attending Hollis." Byron gave me a small smile. "He's offered to let you stay with him, and I think I'm going to take him up on the offer. Mike can stay at a friends house but I don't want you staying all alone in the big house."

Was my dad losing his mind because my mom was sick? He was going to let me stay with some guy I do not even know?

"I don't know who he is." I answered blankly.

"But you can get to know him, Aria. I think the two of you will become good friends. He majored in English, and I know that you want to too." Byron tilted his head a few inches to the side, as he waited for me to protest.

Although I knew that this was a horrible idea, Ezra was a cute guy, and it might be good for me to get to know someone who could help me think of others things instead of wallowing in my mothers' pain.

"Okay." I whispered, as I looked up to meet Ezra's eyes. "When do I have to leave?"

**Thankfully, I've never had to experience the emotions Aria is experiencing in this. So if I'm completely missing something in what she should be feeling here, let me know! **

**If you want me to continue this, let me know in a review! If not, then well… thanks for reading anyway! REVIEW! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry this took so long, it's been a crazy couple of weeks! **

**Wow you guys! I was not expecting such a huge response to this! You guys are so amazing! Thank you : Zoey,cutie, Anonymous, PLL,AWESOME, Ashley, ezria, AznKawaiiLovee, WWKMDbracelets, OnceAWildcatAlwaysAWildcat, TheWallFlower13, hprandom554, ezrialove, me,love,to,read, LauralovesPLL, SolitudeMyLove, Curlygurl2000, hiding,my,heart, AJMcGough, Jess, PrettyLittleSwifty13, cheergirl19961, IanHardingLover, omgthisstoryisgreat, prettylittleliarslover, HarrylovesGinny09, St0ryTeller, 1d4life, crazyatbest, overload-j, LoveEzriaLucian, Pretty-Little-Ezria, PrettyLittleFan, Lexi, PLL,Aria,Ezra, and being accident prone rocks! **

I numbly walked into the house, letting my bag fall from my shoulder and onto the floor as I did so. How long was it going to be before I was going to step foot into this hallway again? How was I going to get through every day knowing that Ella had less and less time to be with me?

I felt my eyes begin to well up with tears once again. My breathing became ragged and my chest physically ached from the pain I was in. I leaned against the wall behind me for support, as my knees gave out and I crumbled to the floor in tears. This had to be a sick joke. There was no way that Ella had cancer. She has led her whole life healthily and she never has had any problems in the past.

I could not stop myself from wondering how much longer I had with her. Was I going to see her smiling face in the crowd when I received my diploma from my high school graduation? Was she going to be in the pews of the church with tears streaming down her face as I said 'I do?' What about when I achieve my dream of writing a novel? Will Ella ever have the chance to read it?

I needed to stop this. I was stronger than this. I had to stop thinking of the worst-case scenario. My mom was going to make it through. Plenty of people survived cancer every year, right?

I slowly trudged up the stairs and into my bedroom. As I opened up the door, I spotted a note and a small jewelry box lying on my comforter. As I walked over to it, I felt my eyes begin to water once again as I read the loopy handwriting on the front that I immediately recognized as my mothers'.

_Aria, _

_If you get home and Byron and I are still out, give me a call._

_Love always, _

_Ella. _

_~ I saw this at the mall and I knew you'd love it!_

I slowly lifted the lid of the box to reveal a diamond-encrusted locket. My fingers trembled as I opened it up. Inside, Ella had placed a picture of her and I from our year abroad in Iceland. In the picture, we had just spent the day together shopping. We had huge smiles on our faces and plenty of shopping bags in our hands. Mike had just gotten a new camera, so he had begun to take pictures galore. A few more tears escaped my eyes as I longingly admired the picture in all its beauty, wishing that time could reverse itself to take us back to that moment. Life had been so carefree and easy in Iceland. Ella was healthy, I managed to forget all about Byron's infidelity, and I managed to heal from Alison's death.

Hadn't I been through enough in losing one of my best friends? Now my mother was sick too?

What had Ella done to deserve to go through this misery? What had I done to deserve all the pain this past year has brought upon my family and I? I was normally really good at dealing with my feelings, but this was too much. I was not strong enough for this! How was I going to be able to watch my mother go through all this pain? Just hearing the words escape her lips had broken my heart. And this is just the beginning! There's so much more to come!

A stumbling coming from the floor below reminded me that I was leaving. As I picked up the jewelry box to admire the necklace again, I heard a knock on my bedroom door.

I quickly wiped away some of my tears with the back of my hand, not wanting whoever was on the other side to know that I had been crying. After a quick peek at myself in the mirror to make sure my make up had not smudged, I called out to the person on the other side.

"Come in."

The door opened a moment later to reveal Ezra, the man who I was going to be staying with for a while.

"I know we never got to formally meet, I'm Ezra Fitz." He smiled a cute boyish smile.

"Aria." I tried to give him a smile back, but failed, as I could not get that amount of happiness to flow through me.

"I'm really sorry about your mom." Sincerity was laced throughout his voice.

"Thanks," I whispered, unable to tear my eyes away from his.

He really was gorgeous. He had bright blue eyes that complimented his dark curly hair. Despite everything that was going on, I was actually a bit excited to get to know him.

I shook my head. Why was I thinking these things? There were more pressing matters at hand than the cute boy who was standing in my room. At least he was getting my mind off of Ella.

"That's nice." He commented, gesturing towards the locket in my hands.

"Ella…" I took a deep breath as I tried to steady my breathing. "Ella got it for me earlier today before she was admitted into the hospital."

"May I?" He held his hand out to take the locket so he could fasten it around my neck.

As I handed it to him, our hands brushed and I felt a jolt of electricity surge through me. I gasped, knowing he must have felt it too, because he quickly pulled his hand away from mine.

He looked at me curiously for a moment, as if he was going to find an explanation for that feeling buried in my eyes.

"Sorry," I whispered.

He shook his head in understanding before unclasping the locket. I gathered my long dark hair away from my neck in an effort to make it easier for him to put it on me. As his fingers touched my skin, a tingling filled my body. How and why was he having this kind of effect of me?

"You should probably start gathering your stuff." Ezra cleared his throat a moment later, dismissing the moment we had just shared.

"Y-yeah." I nodded, as I walked over to my closet. I began pulling shirts off the hangers and threw them into a pile on my bed.

I watched Ezra for a moment as he sat down at my desk. He picked up my copy of _ To Kill a Mockingbird _ and started thumbing through it. I turned away as I felt the blush quickly rising on my cheeks. My book was in such tattered condition that it was embarrassing that he was reading it. There were notes scattered throughout the margins, quotes highlighted in every possible color, and creases and rips distributed throughout the book from the countless times I had opened it up.

I continued gathering outfits before packing them all into a bag. Once I was sure all my make up and toiletries were collected, I placed them all outside my bedroom door.

"Aria?" Ezra asked as I threw my cell phone charger into my purse.

I looked up at him questioningly, waiting for him to continue.

"I know that you're going through a hard time right now, but even though we don't know each other too well, I want you to know that I'm here for you if you need to talk." He said sincerely.

"Thank you." I gave him a small smile. "That really means a lot."

It really did. I could not talk to my mom about her cancer. My dad and Mike had never been good at dealing with feelings either. I had not spoken to my best friends Hanna, Spencer, and Emily, in a while; as we have all been leading our own separate lives.

"Are you doing okay right now?" Ezra asked.

I let out a sigh, unsure of how to answer. "I'm still trying to get over the initial shock of it all. I just… don't want to believe it. But I know that the more I try to convince myself that it isn't true, the harder it will be when it all comes crashing down on me." I confessed.

"I understand. You'll make it through though. Ella will be okay. She's very strong." He assured me, as he put a hand on my back and guided me out of the room. I really hoped that he was right, and that my mom _was_ strong enough to get through this. What I did know, was that she had to make it through. There was no other choice and I don't know what I would do if anything happened to her.

**I'm debating whether or not to give Ezra a girlfriend in this story. What do you guys think? (IT WON'T BE JACKIE) **

**Hope you liked this, PLEASE REVIEW! **


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm sorry that these chapters are taking so long, I have to research information for this story to make sure all my facts are right. And I also want to finish The Hardest Part, so I'm focusing on that more. Thank you so much for your reviews! : Anonymous x15, LisPar, PrettyLittleFan, Fearlesslove1386, kay, AngelInADevilsArms, TheWallFlower13, Lexi, Hiding,my,heart, Melissa, Curlygirl2000, Notinyourlifetimehoney, alannaxsaddy, cheergirl19961, HappinessB26, Karen, Pretty-Little-Ezria, and St0ryTeller! You guys are soooooooo amazing! **

**In this story, Ella doesn't know that Byron cheated on her. **

Aria's POV

"It's not much, but..." Ezra trailed off as he opened the door to apartment 3B.

As I walked inside, a cozy little apartment greeted me.

There was a huge bookshelf on the far wall that was stuffed with novels. As I looked around, I was in awe. It was perfect.

"This is amazing." I gushed, before walking over to the bookshelf and admiring the titles.

It was lined with classic after classic. All my favorite titles were sitting on the bookshelf. What were the chances of him being interested in all the same books as me?

Ezra's POV

There was something about her that I could not place. Her smile had the ability to light up any room. Her long rich brunette hair trailed down her back, swaying slightly as she walked. Besides her breathtaking beauty, there was something about her that was different from every other teenage girl I'd met.

I shook my head. I couldn't think about Byron's daughter like this! She is sixteen! Byron would never forgive me if he knew I had been checking out his daughter.

All of a sudden, my phone buzzed, whisking me out of my thoughts.

**Byron Montgomery: Nothing more is happening tonight, if Aria wants, you can bring her back to the hospital to see Ella.**

I looked up at Aria after reading the text. For such a young girl, she put up such a good front. At the hospital earlier, I had seen her crying. Now, however, it was as if she was a whole new person. I wanted to be there for her, but was she really going to open up to someone she barely knows?

"Aria," I began.

She turned away from the bookshelf to face me.

"Your dad just texted me, he wants you to come back to the hospital."

She nodded, before placing the book she had picked up back onto the bookshelf.

"Want to stop and grab a coffee on our way there?" I asked as I grabbed my keys.

"Sure," Aria shrugged. She followed me down to the car and we drove away.

"So you majored in English?" Aria asked curiously.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"English is my favorite subject. And I've always got a book in my purse." Aria blushed.

I chuckled as I pulled up to the drive through of the local coffee shop. "Do you write too?"

Aria nodded. "Here and there. It's mostly personal though... Just for me."

I nodded, before turning to the cashier to order our coffees.

"Here let me pay." Aria opened up her purse to grab her wallet, but I grabbed my hand. She looked up at me questioningly.

"Don't," I began. "It's the least I can do."

"Ezra," Aria began.

"No." I repeated.

I heard Aria let out a sigh of defeat as I handed Aria her coffee.

The ride back to the hospital consisted mostly of small talk. I found out that she had three best friends and that she dreamed of becoming a published author one day. When Aria's parents were brought up however, she immediately stiffened in her seat and changed the subject.

Aria's POV 

I stopped in front of the door to Ella's hospital room and took a deep breath. Was I really ready for this? To see her again? It was going to take so much will power to not break down as soon as I saw Ella.

"Are you okay?" Ezra asked, sensing my uneasiness.

I turned to him, to see that he had a concerned look on his face. Even though he barely knew me, he was still concerned. I did not know why, but the thought of him wanting to make sure I was okay made my heart flutter.

"Y-yeah." I replied, giving him a small smile.

I reached for the doorknob and opened the door. As I walked into Ella's hospital room, Ezra was right behind me. Ella was lying in the hospital bed and Byron was in a chair beside her bed, holding her hand in his.

"Where's Mike?" I asked, when I did not see him in the room.

"He went downstairs to grab a two coffee's." Byron glanced at his watch. "I don't know what's taking him so long. Ezra, why don't you come down with me to see what happened to him?"

After Ezra and Byron left, I slowly walked over to Ella and sat down on the edge of her bed.

"How are you?" I asked her, hoping she could not see the pain in my eyes that came with having to ask her the question.

She gave me a small smile before responding. "I'm okay, sweetie."

Ella looked so exhausted. Her normally sparkling eyes were dull and heavy from stress and lack of sleep.

"Is there anything you want me to do for you?" I asked, desperate to help her in any possible way.

"No honey, I'm okay." Ella replied.

We remained silent for a moment, just looking at each other.

I had not realized it when I came to see her earlier, but she looked so fragile. She was smaller than she used to be and if she tried, she probably would be able to fit in my clothes. How had I not noticed that something was going on?

"Mom…" I whispered.

I had been so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I had not been paying much attention to the most obvious signs that were telling me something was wrong.

"Aria, it's all going to be okay." She assured me. How could she be so sure? No one knows what is going to happen tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the next. How was she sitting here beside me, acting like this was not a big deal?

"How do you know that?" I asked in broken voice.

"Because we can't walk around only thinking of the worst case scenario. We need to stay strong and believe that I'll get better." Ella said sympathetically.

"How long have you known?" I whispered. How long had she kept this from me? Had could I have been so oblivious to something like this?

Two days ago when I came downstairs for breakfast, Ella had been sitting at the kitchen table talking on the phone with a glass of water in her hand. When she got off the phone, we had made small talk about what we had to do that day before I headed off to the mall to meet up with Hanna, Spencer, and Emily. Nothing had seemed out of the ordinary and I never would have guessed that forty-eight hours later, Ella would be in a hospital bed telling me that she had cancer.

All of a sudden, I gasped. Ella had been drinking water that morning instead of her usual cup of coffee. How did I miss that small fact? The most important part of Ella's mornings was her cup of coffee, and she didn't have it! How could I have not noticed that? People with cancer cannot drink coffee!

"About a week." Ella said quietly.

I jumped up from the edge of the bed in shock. Ella had known that she had cancer for a week? Why didn't she tell me? How could she keep something like this from me?

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked angrily, as I ran my hand through my hair in a frustrated manner.

Why wouldn't she tell me? Was this her way of trying to protect me? I was old enough to know something like this, so what was the issue here? Did she think that I was not going to be able to handle knowing that she had cancer?

"I didn't want you to worry." Ella began. "Like you are now. It's going to be okay Aria, don't let this all get to you."

Suddenly, Ella's face lit up. "Do you like the necklace?"

My hand immediately went to my neck to hold the locket in my hand.

"It's beautiful..." I whispered. "You didn't have to do that."

Ella smiled back at me. "I wanted to… How's Ezra? Do you like him?"

Ella asked.

"Yeah, he's been really great!" I replied, as I sat back down beside her on her bed. "We're into a lot of the same things so there's always something to talk about."

"That's good." Ella replied. "We thought the two of you would get along pretty well."

I nodded. I was pretty happy that I had met Ezra. He seemed like a genuinely good guy and even though he barely knew me, I knew that he cared about me.

"Do you know what kind of cancer you have?" I asked quietly.

Ella remained silent for a moment before responding. "It's colon cancer."

I closed my eyes for a moment, as the information sunk in.

"What caused it?" I asked sadly.

Ella shook her head. "There's no single cause. My mother had it so could have been hereditary."

I felt my eyes welling up with tears again. Why did the bad genes have to hit Ella? Why couldn't they have come to me?

"They did a colonoscopy earlier today and found it. It's still at an early stage, stage 1." Ella informed me. "The cancer is mostly in the inner layers of the colon." Ella traced the area on her stomach where the cancer was most presented, showing me where it was.

"So what are they going to do?" I whispered, as I wiped away a few stray tears that had fallen from my eyes.

"Chemotherapy or surgery."

I nodded in response.

I wanted to take her pain away. I wished that she could just get better! Why did this have to happen? What did Ella do to deserve this?

The door banged open a moment later. Ezra, Mike, and Byron entered the room, each with a coffee in their hands.

Mike gave me a small smile, before sitting down on a chair in the corner of the hospital room. Byron sat down in the chair beside Ella and took one of her hands in hers again. I could only imagine the pain he was going through. The stress of Ella being sick and worrying about whether Mike and I were okay since we no longer were staying with him, had to be killing him.

I shook my head. Things were already taken a turn for the worst. And they had just begun.

…PLL…

"Are you hungry?" Ezra asked.

"Sure," I nodded.

"I can go grab us something to eat, anything in particular that you're craving?"

I closed my eyes for a moment before responding. "Chinese." I said, a small smile gracing my lips.

"Sounds good. I'll be back in about ten minutes." Ezra smiled, before disappearing from sight.

I dropped my purse onto the floor next to the door as I dug through my duffel bag for a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. If we were staying here the rest of the night, I wanted to do it in comfort. After I changed, I picked up my book and began to read to pass the time. The words on the crisp white pages slowly became a blur as my thoughts drifted elsewhere.

I did not want Ezra to see me as an insecure little girl. I was so much more than that. He had seen me break down over Ella once already though.

It was just so hard. Keeping up this charade that everything was okay, was hard work. I knew I had to remain strong for Ella. She was the one who was going through the real pain.

Tears begun to slide down my cheeks as my mind raced.

Ella was one of the most important people in my life. I could not believe that this was happening to her. She was a healthy eater, she never smoked and she rarely drank. She had never done anything bad in her life to deserve to go through any of this misery!

I set the book down beside me, unable to concentrate any longer.

Why did this have to happen? When Alison was killed, I thought that there was no hope for happiness in the world. What idiot would murder a fifteen-year-old girl? Sure, Alison was mean and manipulative, but what had she done to anyone that would have made him or her want her dead?

The tears begun cascading quicker down my face, but there was nothing I could do to stop them.

Was this my fault? Was there something I could have done differently? Was this a punishment for blinding Jenna? Or for keeping my fathers' infidelity a secret? Ella still did not know about that, and hopefully, she never finds out.

I wanted it all to be over. All the pain that I knew Ella is going to have to go through, all the tears that I know are going to be shed. I just wanted her to get better. She did not deserve any of this.

Ella had always been an amazing mother. She always made sure that Mike and my lunches were packed and ready to go before school in the morning, she was there to comfort us when we were having a bad dream, she baked us the most amazing chocolate chip cookies the world has ever tasted.

I heard Ezra's key in the apartment door and quickly picked my book up again. I hastily wiped away my tears, hoping that my make up had not smudged.

Ezra's POV 

"Aria, I-" I began, however, as soon as I spotted Aria, the smile quickly vanished from my face.

"Are you okay?" I put the food down on the table and quickly made my way over to Aria.

"Y-yeah. Sorry." She said, as she set her book down beside her.

I knew that she was going through a really hard time right now, and I wanted to be there for her. There was just something about her that I could not describe. Something about her just pulled me in.

"If you want to talk about it, I'm here for you." I reminded her.

She nodded, before turning away from me. She bit her bottom lip, probably hard enough to draw blood.

"I just…" Aria began, as her eyes begun to well up with tears. "Was it something I did? Is this a punishment for me that Ella's paying for?"

The tears quickly spilled over and even though I barely knew her, it broke my heart to see her in such a broken and fragile state.

I felt an indescribable urge to comfort her and hold her in my arms. I wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay. That even though Ella was sick now and that it seemed that everything was taking a turn for the worst, that things will get better in the end. I wanted to take all her pain away.

"No, no, Aria." I assured her. "None of this is your fault."

I took her hand in mine, trying to comfort her. However, as soon as our skin met, my heartbeat sped up and a jolt of energy surged through me.

Our eyes met, both of us looking for an answer to the feeling that I knew we both felt at that moment.

"You don't know that." Aria finally said.

How was I going to be able to convince her that this was not her fault? That things like this just happen?

"You'll realize that you're wrong eventually. Bad things happen to everyone, Aria. Ella didn't do anything wrong, Byron didn't do anything wrong, and you didn't do anything wrong. It just happened." I tried to reason with her.

"Just like Ali? Ali's death, _just happened_?" Aria asked angrily.

What was she talking about? Who was Ali?

"Who's Ali?" I asked.

**Merry Christmas, and PLEASE REVIEW! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you soooo much for your reviews: Shorttie, PrettyLittleFan, Anonymous, LAXGRL4EVA, 23, Anonymous, Anonymous, Anonymous, msbookworm93, me,love,to,read, Jess, Anonymous, Anonymous, AngelInADevilsArms, ellen, Anonymous, SolitudeMyLove, Anonymous, Anonymous, St0ryTeller, cole87, hiding,my,heart, and Notinyourlifetimehoney! **

Aria's POV

"She was my best friend." I whispered. She was one of them anyway. Ali was the only person out of our circle of friends who understood me completely. Sure, she could be a bitch at times, but I still loved her, all the same.

"Was?" Ezra asked, confusion written all over his face.

"She was murdered." I closed my eyes as I spoke in barely a whisper. I really didn't want to retell the story of Ali's death to a man I barely knew. But then again, I was going to be staying with him for a while, so we should probably get to know each other better.

"By who?"

I shook my head. "We don't know."

Ali's murderer was still out there. The girls and I had no idea who it was, and if we weren't careful, we could be next.

"I'm so sorry." Ezra said sympathetically.

"Thanks." I whispered.

Ezra's POV

Aria was such a strong girl. Her mother has cancer and her best friend was murdered? How does she continue to live her life in such a carefree manner? How has she not crumbled under the weight of everything she's been through?

I couldn't help myself as I moved closer to her and put one arm around her, in a comforting manner. I wasn't sure how she would react, but to my delight, she was quick to cuddle her body against mine. I hated seeing her like this. Seeing her beautiful brown eyes, red and puffy from the tears she had been shedding. Seeing such immense sadness cloud her eyes.

What was wrong with me? Why was I feeling this need to be there for her? To comfort her? Yeah sure, I was the only one in the room with her, but there was just something about her, that I couldn't explain. I just wanted to make her tears go away. I wanted her to realize that bad things happen to good people. She had not done anything to deserve any of the pain she's been forced into. Why was the world so cruel sometimes?

Aria's POV

It felt so good having my body resting against his. I felt safe next to him. A small voice in my head was telling me that I could trust him. That he would protect me. Ella still did not know that Byron cheated on her. Was Byron going to tell her, now that her days could be numbered? How could he continue to keep something like that from her? What if he didn't tell her at all? Was I the one who was going to have to break the news to her? She was going to be devastated. Heartbroken that he would betray her like that. Angry that I kept something like this from her. Ashamed at herself that she wasn't good enough for him. He had to go after one of his college students because his own wife was not enough for him. How could Byron do this to her? How could he do this to _me_? Has he ever once thought of what he has put me through to keep his infidelity from Ella? She's gone day by day, not knowing that her husband cheated on her with a student of his.

I did not know if Byron's infidelity was a safe topic to talk about with Ezra. I had already flooded him with information about Ali's death, and once he learned that Byron cheated on Ella, there was no doubt that he would lose respect for Byron. What if he no longer wanted me to stay with him after learning Byron cheated on Ella? He was doing Byron a huge favor by letting me stay with him; I'm sure he wouldn't want anything to do with Byron after he found out about _that. _

I couldn't tell Ezra about that. Not now anyway.

I wiped away the few tears that had not dried away by that point, as I reluctantly moved away from Ezra's body. I could not break down like this again. I had to show him that I was stronger than this. That I was not a little girl and that I could handle everything that life was throwing my way. I stood up from the couch and gathered my hair into a ponytail.

"What time is it?" I asked Ezra.

He glanced at his watch before responding. "10:45."

"Do you have classes tomorrow?" I asked, as I let my hair fall from the gathering. Ezra shook his head. "I don't know if Byron wants you to go back to the hospital tomorrow though."

"Yeah," I said bitterly. "They refuse to tell me what's happening to Ella because they think I can't handle it."

Ezra stood up from the couch before responding. "Well, if they happen to tell me anything, I promise to tell you."

I gave him a small smile in response.

It was nice knowing that he was not going to keep things from me and that he saw me as mature enough to handle it all. Why couldn't my parents be like that too?

"Actually, would it be okay if we go there again tomorrow? Even if nothing's happening? I kind of just want to see her again." I said softly.

"Of course." Ezra nodded.

A yawn escaped my lips, reminding me how much today had worn me out.

"We should probably get to bed soon if we're going back there tomorrow morning." Ezra smiled.

He walked over to his closet and pulled out a blanket and a pillow. "Here, you can take the bed, I'll take the couch."

"No!" I quickly exclaimed. "I don't want to take your bed away from you!"

He chuckled softly. "It's really not a big deal, Aria."

"Are you sure?" I asked hesitantly. I felt really bad! I did not want him to have to sleep on the couch because of me!

"Yeah," He smiled that beautiful boyish smile.

"Thank you." I couldn't help but smile back. His smile was truly contagious.

I begun to search through my bag for my toothbrush and make up remover. I quickly found the remover, but my toothbrush was nowhere in sight. I let out a heavy sigh as I realized that I would have to dump everything out of my bag in an effort to find it. As I let everything in the bag tumble to the floor, I searched around the mess for my toothbrush. To my dismay, it was not there. I really did not want to bother Ezra any more than I already had, but there was no way I was going to sleep without brushing my teeth.

"Hey, Ezra?" I asked, as I got up from the floor.

"Yeah?" He turned to me.

"Do you by any chance have an extra toothbrush? I accidently left mine at home." I said, slightly embarrassed at myself that I had forgotten such a crucial item.

"Let me check." Ezra disappeared into his bathroom, but came out a moment later empty handed.

"I'm sorry, I don't." He said.

I let out a groan in frustration. "Is there any chance we could go back to my house and grab mine? It's only a ten minute ride." I bit my lip, not knowing whether he would say yes.

"Yeah, that's fine." Ezra replied, to my surprise.

I shook my head as I grabbed my purse and followed him to his car. He must find me so annoying. Living with a teenage girl, what was he thinking getting himself into this? I had already broken down once in front of him, and we barely knew each other!

When we arrived at my house, I opened the front door slowly, Ezra walking in behind me. The normal hum of the dishwasher and air conditioner were absent from the atmosphere. It was as if no one had been here in days.

I shook my head, disregarding the thought, as I dropped my bag near the door.

"I'll just wait here." Ezra said, as I headed towards my room.

I had finally begun to get over the initial shock that came with learning Ella had cancer. I just needed to stay strong now and have faith that everything will work out in the end.

As I walked through the hallway, I could not ignore all the family photos lined up on the wall, of the Montgomery family together smiling brightly. I couldn't help but form a sad smile as I saw a photo of me with my pink hair. I had thought it was so cool back then.

We were all so happy back then. Life was so carefree. Ali was still alive, Byron hadn't cheated on Ella, and Ella was healthy.

I let out a heavy sigh as I quickly walked past the rest of the photos along the wall and towards my room. I really had to stop torturing myself like this.

I grabbed my toothbrush from my bathroom and left the room. Ezra was probably wondering what had happened to me by now. I stopped walking as I reached Byron and Ella's bedroom. Should I go in there? Should I not? Going in there was only going to make me feel worse and hurt me more. I couldn't help myself as my feet led me towards the bedroom door. I slowly opened it up and gazed inside. The bed was still made up as if no one had slept in it for days. But of course it would look like that. Byron had been staying with Ella in the hospital, not at home away from her!

I walked into the closet, letting my fingers brush up against the soft material of Ella's sweaters. I could still smell the faint scent of Ella's perfume left on her clothes. I leaned against the wall behind me for support as I looked around the closet.

I instinctively reached up to grasp the necklace Ella had given me in my hand. I couldn't help but think of it as proof that this was all real. That she really was slipping away from me and that there was a possibility that this would all end badly.

I felt the tears gathering in my eyes, but I took a deep breath in an effort to stop them from falling. I really had to stop doing this to myself. Things were never going to get better if I continued dwelling on the past like this. I was only making it harder for myself.

I pushed myself off of the wall and quickly walked out of the room. Ella was going to get better. She was a fighter. There was no way that she was going to let the cancer win.

**I read somewhere online that Ella is the person who dies this season. Someone please tell me that this isn't true!**

**Hope you guys liked this, PLEASE REVIEW! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks soooo much for your lovely reviews! You have no idea how much they're appreciated!: Anonymous, msbookworm93, anonymous, AngelInADevilsArms, anonymous, anonymous, OnceAWildcatAlwaysAWildcat, 23, PrettyLittleFan, IrishGabi, Hiding,my,heart, Notinyourlifetimehoney, nightmares,and,dreamers, bexy34, thehelloitsme, LauralovesPLL, me,love,to,read, NataliaRosePLL, FearlessLove1386, Jane, Anonymous, Anonymous, crazyatbest, and EzriaAddicted! **

**I cannot wait until tomorrow, there's actually some Ezria in the episode! This LACK is killing me! **

**And I'm so glad we've cleared up that Ella doesn't die. But someone dies… maybe Melissa's baby? I feel like everyone else is too important to die! **

Aria's POV

I woke up the next morning with a pounding headache.

"You're up." I heard a voice say. I opened my eyes to see Ezra writing something down on a piece of paper. He was dressed in a button down, black dress pants, and a tie. I had to admit, he looked really cute.

"I was just gonna leave you a note."

"My head hurts." I groaned as I put a hand up to my forehead as another burst of pain surged through me.

"Headache?" Ezra asked as he walked over to the bed.

"Mhmm." I sighed as I closed my eyes for a moment. When I opened them up, however, Ezra was gone.

"Ezra?" I asked, as I sat up in his bed, looking around the suddenly void apartment.

He appeared back in the room a moment later with a glass of water and an aspirin in his hand. He sat down on the edge of the bed as he handed them to me.

"Thanks." I said, as I took the water and pill from him. Once again, as soon as our hands met, that bolt of electricity filled me up. It seemed that every time our skin met, that unexplainable feeling came with it.

Ezra looked up at me curiously.

"What?" I asked, confused.

He shook his head. "Nothing."

Our gazes met and I could not tear my eyes away from his.

"I thought you didn't have work today." I finally said, motioning towards his outfit.

He let out a heavy sigh. "They called me in this morning. I actually have to cover for your fathers' classes today."

"Oh." I said, unable to hide the disappointment clearly evident in my voice.

"Are you okay with being alone today? You can go meet up with your friends or something if you want."

Truth to be told, I had been looking forward to spending the day with Ezra. I could not help but wonder whether or not he was getting annoyed of me by now though.

"Okay." I smiled, trying to hide my disappointment.

He gave me a small smile, before leaving the apartment.

I groaned as I flopped back onto the bed. I could not get him out of my head. Why was he having this kind of effect on me? Every time our skin met, a jolt of electricity flowed through me. I had never felt those sparks before with anyone else.

But this would be so wrong. To act on the feelings that were so clearly there. He was my fathers' friend and colleague, and he was older than me. The age difference did not bother me, but other people, namely my parents, probably would not approve.

I let out a heavy sigh as I swallowed the pill and the whole glass of water.

I pulled the covers over my head and closed my eyes; trying to make both the headache and my confusing feelings about Ezra, go away.

…PLL…

I walked into the coffee shop and looked around.

Hanna, Spencer, and Emily had all been busy, so I decided to meet up with Mike.

I hadn't seen him since we had been told the news about Ella in the hospital, and I had no idea how he was coping with all of this.

"Aria." I heard a voice say.

I turned to see Mike sitting alone in one of the booths near the windows. He was staring down into his cup of coffee.

"Hey," I greeted him as I slid in across from him.

He looked up and gave me a small smile.

I set my bag down beside me.

"I'm going to go get a coffee and I'll be right back. Want to split a muffin?" I asked.

"Sure." He replied.

He looked so tired and heartbroken. I had to remind myself that he was only a freshman and he was probably having a harder time dealing with this than I was. Mike was not one to open up about his feelings, so bottling them all up must have been taking its toll on him.

"Can I get a chocolate chip muffin and a latte?" I handed the cashier some money.

I drummed my fingers on the countertop as I waited for my order.

"Thanks." I said to the cashier, as she handed me the latte and muffin.

I walked back over to Mike. He was looking out the window, clearly lost in thought.

"Are you okay?" I asked as I broke off a piece of the muffin and popped it into my mouth.

He shrugged. "Define okay."

"I know." I agreed.

"Are you going there today?" Mike asked, taking a piece of the muffin for himself.

"I'm not sure if I can handle it." I admitted, looking down at the coffee in my hands.

"Me either." He agreed.

I took his hand in mine across the table.

"We'll make it through this. Don't worry." I assured him. "Ella's gonna be okay."

He looked at me for a moment, searching for any uncertainty in my eyes. Upon finding none, he gave me a small smile.

Mike had no idea about Byron's affair. I knew I could not tell him about it. It was not my place, and Mike would never forgive Byron for hurting Ella like that.

"It's just… so hard to see her like this." He said quietly.

"I know." I agreed. "I'm scared that they're not going to tell us the full truth. I know they're trying to protect us, but I want to know everything that's happening to her. Don't you?" I asked.

Mike nodded. "They don't think we can handle it."

I could not help the annoyed sigh that escaped my lips.

"If they tell you anything, Aria, you'll tell me, right? Screw all the protecting crap." Mike cracked a small smile.

"Of course." I told him. "And Ezra promised to tell me anything that they tell him."

"Do you like him?" Mike asked curiously, changing the subject.

"Yeah." I smiled. "He's really nice and we have a lot in common, so there's rarely any dull moments."

"He hasn't… tried anything on you, has he?" Mike asked hesitantly.

"Mike, he seems like a good guy. He wouldn't do something like that." I assured him.

"Aria, you're staying with an older man all alone. I just want to make sure you're safe."

I smiled, loving that he was being the over protective brother that he was.

"I'm safe." I nodded. "I promise."

…PLL…

"Did you go see Ella today? How is she doing?" Ezra asked me, later that night. We had just finished dinner and I was sitting on the couch, watching him as he loaded up the dishwasher.

"No, I didn't. I actually hung out with Mike today." I said.

"How is he doing with all of this?" Ezra asked as he sat down beside me on the leather couch.

"He would never admit it, but not much better than me. Mike's the kind of person who hides his feelings." I trailed off. "But what about Ella?" I asked. "How is she staying so strong? She didn't seem as troubled as she should have been at the hospital when she told us."

"She's had more time to deal with this than you have. She's probably accepted it by now."

I let out a sigh. How hard was this for her? Having to come to grips with the reality that her days were numbered?

"What are you afraid of?" Ezra asked me softly, a few moments later.

I looked at him for a moment before responding. The tone of his voice when he had asked the question showed that he genuinely wanted to know.

"That this will all end badly." I whispered brokenly. "That she might die."

"Aria, you can't think like that. Plenty of people survive cancer every year. And Ella is very strong." Ezra reminded me.

"I know… It's just so hard not to."

I tried to push those troubling feelings away, but I just wasn't strong enough. I knew I was strong, but I wasn't strong enough to deal with something like this.

"Why don't you try writing about it? That always helps me when I'm going through a tough time."

"I do." I admitted. "It's one of the few things I can always fall back on, when…" I trailed off quietly as I looked down to my lap.

"When what?" Ezra asked softly.

I took a deep breath as my eyes met his gaze again. "When everything else in my life seems to be falling apart."

It was true. When everything else in my life seemed to be breaking, writing was one of the few things I could count on to make me feel better.

"I know what you mean." Ezra told me.

I looked at him questioningly.

"When my parents were younger, they filed for divorce. I felt like my whole world had come crashing down on me. I could not understand how or why something like that could have happened to me. It was like, were they trying to tear our family apart? Did they care about my brother and I at all?" Ezra told me.

"Why did they get a divorce?" I asked curiously.

Ezra remained silent for a moment before responding. "They found out that they had both been cheating on each other." He finally revealed.

I sucked in a breath at his comment. Ezra had to deal with not one cheater, but two, for parents. And I had thought that Byron's infidelity was bad!

"I'm so sorry." I told him.

"It's okay. It was a long time ago."

A comfortable silence took over the room for a moment.

"Have you talked to Ella about it?" Ezra suddenly asked.

"About what?" I asked, confusion laced throughout my voice.

"How you're feeling. What's it's like for you to deal with all of this."

"Not really." I admitted. "I don't want her to see me like this. She'd be heartbroken. I keep telling myself that I have to stay strong… For her… But…" I closed my eyes as I felt tears gathering in my eyes. "It's just so hard."

The tears I had been trying to hold back finally began to fall down my cheeks.

"Seeing her that weak and vulnerable… it's like… She's supposed to protect me, but she can't anymore because of all of this. And now, I want to protect her and be there for her, the way she's always been there for me… but I don't know how." I hastily wiped away the tears that had fallen.

Ezra's POV

The tears in her beautiful eyes were tugging at my heart. Seeing her like this; so broken, was painful. But why was I feeling like this?

Aria's POV

"Next time we go to the hospital why don't you go talk to her about it? Let her know that you're going to be there for her through all of this." Ezra suggested.

I looked at him, unsure of how to respond. "Because…" I began. "I'm keeping something from her. And I don't know how much longer I can handle her not knowing."

I tried to steady my uneven breathing, but it was no use.

"There's something… that happened." I took a deep breath in an effort to calm myself, however, it did not have the effect I had been going for.

"And Ella doesn't know about it." I said, my voice shaking.

Ezra watched me, patiently waiting for me to continue.

"But I feel so guilty keeping it from her… Especially now." I said in a tired voice. I was just exhausted. I was tired of keeping secrets. I was tired of hiding something that was going to hurt her immensely, from her. I was tired of keeping this to myself to protect my father. But this was not my secret to tell.

Seeing her, every day this past year, and knowing that I was keeping something like this from her, crushed me. I didn't know how much longer I could handle keeping it all in.

"Ezra…" I whispered, as the tears that had been gathering in my eyes fell over once again.

I saw a conflicting look in Ezra's eyes, of him questioning himself of whether he should comfort me or not.

Ezra was never going to look at Byron the same after I revealed this. What if he cornered Byron about it? What if Ezra forced Byron to tell Ella about it?

I shook my head. Ezra would never do that.

"My dad cheated on my mom." I finally revealed. A heavy sob escaped my lips as I closed my eyes, wishing this would all go away.

"I'm so sorry, Aria." Ezra wrapped his arms around me, holding my body close against his. "It's gonna be okay." He whispered to me, as he rocked my body with his.

"I caught him with her one day…" I began. "She was his student. Byron cheated on Ella with someone half his age."

He tightened his arms around me, as if a reminder that I was safe in his arms.

I closed my eyes, savoring the feeling of his arms wrapped around me. I felt safe and protected. Like no one could hurt me while I was with him.

"I know it seems bad now, but it'll get better eventually, trust me." He spoke in a soothing voice as he stroked his fingers through my dark silky hair.

I twisted myself in his arms so that I could look into his eyes.

"Thank you… so much." I whispered.

He reached up to wipe away a stray tear from my cheek. "For what?" He questioned.

"For just being there for me."

I looked at his lips for a moment before looking back into his eyes. Ever so slowly, we inched closer to each other. I could feel his hot and heavy breath fanning my face. All of a sudden, however, he must have realized what was about to happen, for he moved away.

I closed my eyes and sighed. I knew this was wrong. He knew this was wrong. But if this was so wrong, what was the explanation for all the emotions I was feeling towards him? Why did they feel so right?

**Ugh, Ezra, why did you pull away? HOPE YOU GUYS LIKED THIS, PLEASE REVIEW! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you so much for your lovely reviews! : msbookworm93, nightmares,and,dreamers, LisPar, PrettyLittleFan, iBreakTradition, CountryMusicLover, hiding,my,heart, LucyyyPLL, Notinyourlifetimehoney, anon, sal, LauralovesPLL, Shorttie, and bite-me-im-irish! **

**Sal – they're the same age in this story as they are in the show. Aria's 16/17ish and Ezra is 22/23ish. **

An uneasy silence filled the room. Ezra and I had almost kissed, but after coming to his senses, he pulled away the moment before our lips met. I knew that he had done the right thing, but deep down, I could not help but wonder what it would have felt like to have his soft lips against mine.

Why did I have to be attracted to him? What did these feelings mean? Were they real? I knew that there was an unexplainable connection between the two of us; it was the only rational explanation for all of the emotions I felt whenever I was with him.

I knew he must have been feeling them too. The look in his eyes when he looked at me said it all. The way he constantly asked me how I was doing and if I was okay. It seemed like he genuinely cared.

But this was wrong. He was Byron's friend and Byron trusted him to take care of me. Not to fall in love with me.

I knew that I could not let these feelings take control. I could not let myself think about what it would be like to be with him. To kiss him. To love him.

I quickly got up from the couch and headed towards the bathroom to get ready for bed.

"Aria." Ezra's voice stopped me. I slowly turned around to face him. "I'm sorry." He said softly.

The look in his eyes confirmed that he was sorry that he couldn't kiss me. That it was wrong and that he couldn't betray Byron like that.

I knew he was right, but I couldn't stop the flood of rejection that washed over me.

* * *

><p>Ezra pulled up beside the front doors of the hospital.<p>

"Want me to drop you off while I go look for a parking spot?" Ezra suggested.

"Sure," I agreed, as I got out of the car and headed towards the doors. It bothered me that the route to Ella's room was now becoming familiar. There was no reason it should have been. None of this should be happening. Ella, Byron, Mike, and I should be together at home, not at a hospital.

But then again, if none of this had happened, I never would have met Ezra.

I let out a huge sigh. Out of this whole situation, he seemed to be the only good thing coming out of it.

I stopped abruptly as I heard voices coming from inside of Ella's room. The door was slightly open. I peered inside to find my parents cuddled together on Ella's hospital bed. Ella's head was resting on Byron's chest and Byron was holding Ella's hand. I couldn't help but smile at the sight of them. I missed this. Seeing my parents together.

If anyone but me had seen this sight, they would have concluded that Ella and Byron really loved each other. But I knew better.

"They're going to do the surgery in a few days." I heard Ella tell Byron.

"I know. The nurse told me… Are you okay?" Byron asked her as he stroked her hair.

I watched Ella look up to meet Byron's eyes. "I'm sorry…" She trailed off.

"For what?" Byron asked, shocked.

"For putting you guys through this pain. Aria and Mike… I don't know how they're handling all this." Ella said softly.

I felt anger coursing through my veins at Ella's words. How could she blame herself for this? I wanted to burst into the room right then and there, but I stopped myself as I heard Byron speak again.

"Ella. Don't." I heard him sigh loudly. "None of this is your fault. Some things… just happen."

"I know…" Ella finally said after a few moments of silence.

"Is there still blood when you use the bathroom?" Byron asked.

"Yeah." Ella responded. "They said that's a normal symptom."

Byron began stroking Ella's hair.

"I'm just so _ tired." _ Ella said. "And this is only the beginning."

I could not handle listening to this anymore. Before I knew anything about cancer, I thought I wanted to know everything that would be going on with Ella. But now, after hearing about the details for the first time, I knew that this would be too much to bear.

I knocked twice on the door, alerting them of my presence before entering the room. More cards and flowers were scattered around the room than there had been the previous day.

"Aria, sweetie." Ella smiled at me.

"Hey mom." I said softly as I crossed the room and gave her a hug. "How are you doing? Are you okay?" I sat down beside my parents on the bed.

"As okay as I can be." Ella shrugged.

I shook my head. "I wish there was something I could do…" I whispered softly.

"Just being here is enough, Aria." Ella gave me a small smile as she took my hand in hers.

"I love you." I whispered to her.

All of a sudden, a look of immense pain crossed Ella's face. Her breathing became heavier and louder as Ella quickly dropped my hand and wrapped her arms around her stomach.

"Ella. Ella!" Byron exclaimed worriedly. "Aria hit the nurse button!"

I quickly pushed the button as I tried to keep myself calm. What was happening? How much pain was she in? _No. Please. Don't make anything be wrong. Let her be okay. Make her be okay._

"Byron-" Ella gasped.

I watched Byron as he grabbed the bucket beside Ella's bed and held it under her as Ella threw up into it. Byron began rubbing circles on Ella's back in a soothing manner while urging her to let it all out.

The door opened a moment later. A nurse walked in and to my surprise, Ezra was right behind her.

"Is everything okay?" Ezra asked as he walked over to me and stood next to me.

I shook my head as I watched my mother in fear. She was hurting so much and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Pain medicine only went so far.

"I can't-I can't do this." I whispered to myself as I quickly left the room, unable to handle seeing Ella in that state.

I leaned against the wall outside her door for support as I felt my eyes welling up with tears.

Ezra appeared outside the room a moment later. He was quick to envelop me in his arms.

"It's hard enough _seeing _her like this. I don't think I can handle _ knowing _everything too." I whispered into his now tear-stained t-shirt.

Tears started flowing quicker down my cheeks as the image of Ella throwing up into the bucket as she clutched her stomach in pain entered my mind again.

I closed my eyes tightly and tried to think of something else, anything else, to try to get that image to go away.

"I can't…. I can't handle this." I cried.

Ezra held me closer against him. I tightened my arms around him, craving the sense of comfort he was providing. I rested my head on his chest as he brushed his fingers through my hair in a soothing manner.

"It's gonna be okay." Ezra said softly.

"Aria, they're going to take care of her. They're going to do everything they can to help Ella get better." Ezra assured me.

"What if it doesn't work?" I cried out desperately.

"Aria," Ezra whispered brokenly as he held me tighter against him. "I'm so sorry. So sorry."

I could not handle it anymore. This front I had put up to seem so strong was quickly falling. But Ezra was the one holding me together. Having his arms wrapped around me was more comforting than words could explain.

At that moment, I did not care if my father walked out of the room to find me wrapped in Ezra's arms. I did not care that this was wrong. That he should not be comforting me. That I should not be feeling this way towards him. I really _didn't care. _

All I wanted was the comfort he was providing me with.

I felt Ezra press his lips against my hairline as he rubbed his arms up and down my back in a soothing motion. The tears began to slow as I regained control over my emotions.

I lifted my head from his chest and looked into his eyes. I could see the hurt he felt from watching me in this state.

I could tell that he really cared. He really wanted me to be alright. The look in his eyes was asking me if I was going to be okay.

As much as I wanted to assure him that I would be okay, I knew that I couldn't, because _I _didn't know if I was going to be okay.

I shook my head in response to his silent question as I buried my head into his collarbone once again.

_Ella, please be okay _I whispered to myself.

**I'd love to know what you guys thought! Please review! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you so so so much for your lovely reviews! : livelaughluv9676, anon, anon, msbookworm93, SophieeLeon, FearlessLove1386, hprandom554, nightmares,and,dreamers, Emma Weasley Granger, wantstowriteforyou, LauralovesPLL, hiding,my,heart, Notinyourlifetimehoney, Prettylittlefan, LucyyyPLL, bite-me-im-irish, madigirl99, Caligirl28, and lucianfan! You guys are so amazing. **

_Dear Momma,_

_Do you know how much it hurts? Seeing you in this kind of pain? I love you so much and it's crushing me to see you like this. I can't tell you because I know it will hurt you._

_I'm scared. I can't imagine what my life will be like if I lose you. I need you. And now, when I'm hurting the most, I can't come to you for help, because you're hurting more than me._

_Seeing you yesterday was one of the hardest things I've ever witnessed._

_Honestly, I'm scared to come back to the hospital because I don't want to hear any more bad news. _

_There's so much you don't know. Dad's keeping something from you. Something big. And I know about it. It's killing me having to keep this from you. If I tell you, you'll get hurt. If I don't, you'll get hurt when you eventually find out. It's a lose-lose situation. I don't know what to do. I don't want to hurt you, but you have a right to know. _

_Ezra's been so great to me. He's so sweet and he understands everything our family is going through. He didn't even judge Dad when I told Ezra about what Dad did to you. God, Ella, you can't find out. You'll be crushed. I can't let you find out. _

_All my love,_

_Your little girl _

I wiped away a stray tear from my face as I set my pen down and closed my journal. I softly placed it onto the floor before reaching beside me and shutting off the lamp. I snuggled under the covers before falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p>I smiled as I picked up an old photo of Ella pushing me on a swing at the park.<p>

I missed her so much. I had not been to the hospital in the past five days, afraid of what I might witness if I go again.

Ezra was being so nice about it, making sure that before he took me to visit Ella again, I would be emotionally prepared to be in the room if anything happened.

Ezra. God, I didn't know what do about him anymore. I didn't know what all these feelings meant. Lying in his arms the other day had made me feel so safe. So complete. I knew that nothing could hurt me. The way he kissed the top of my head showed that he truly cared. Sometimes, I was able to see the look in his eyes as he fought with himself on whether or not he should comfort me when I was crying.

God, I felt like such a baby. Why was I suddenly so weak? Why was I suddenly so emotionally fragile? When I was around him, I felt like I didn't need to keep up any walls. Like I didn't need to hide. Like I could let him see my true feelings and my true self.

He was just so amazing. Those gorgeous blue eyes were hypnotizing.

There was so obviously a connection between the two of us. But I knew how wrong it would be to act on it.

I sighed as I picked up a random picture of Byron and I from when I was five. He was holding me on his shoulders and we both had big smiles on our faces. Who would have known that years later, he'd be making me keep a huge secret from Ella.

He acted on whatever feelings he had for Meredith. She was his student and she was so much younger than him! Why would acting on my feelings for Ezra be so wrong? He was only six or seven years older than me, and the only real thing stopping us, is that Byron trusts him to keep me safe and take care of me. Not to be in a relationship with me.

I let out a huge sigh as I set the picture back down. Why did this have to be so complicated?

* * *

><p><span>Ezra's POV<span>

I walked into my apartment to find Aria sitting on the floor with pictures and scrapbook supplies scattered all around her. Her long silky hair was cascading around her shoulders and she was wearing a t-shirt and sweats. Her make up free face was glowing and her eyes were focused solely on the picture she was holding in her hands. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She was so beautiful. The way she looked and her maturity made her seem as if she was so much older than she actually was. Her strength and sense of wisdom made her seem beyond her years as well. She had been through so much, yet she woke up smiling every morning. Her love for classics and her passion for writing made her all the more wonderful. Let alone the fact that simply when our fingers touched, a bolt of electricity flooded through my body. Just her touch had such a huge impact on me. I wondered if it was the same for her. Was she struggling with this just as much as I was? God, how did I meet such an amazing girl?

_Girl. _That word stuck out in my head like a sore thumb. It was as if my mind was screaming at me to remember that she was a girl. A teenager. A high school student. Not a woman. As if my mind was reminding me over and over again that thinking about her like that was wrong. Immoral. Inappropriate.

God, I needed to stop this.

"Oh, hey." She looked up from the picture in her hands that she had been studying, finally noticing me, and smiled. "I'm sorry about the mess I've made. I promise I'll clean it up." She said nervously.

I chuckled as I walked over to her and sat down beside her. "It's not a problem. What exactly are you doing?"

"I wanted to make a scrapbook for Ella. To get her mind off of things. I mean come on, there's no place more boring than a hospital."

I picked up a random picture from the floor. It was of Ella, Byron, Mike, and Aria on a glacier.

"Where was this taken?" I held up the picture for her to see.

"Iceland." Our hands brushed up against each other as she took it from my hands with a small smile on her face. Even the slightest form of contact with her skin sent a tingling throughout my entire body. She was so gorgeous. I ached to touch her. To feel her delicate skin against mine. To have her soft lips pressed against mine as I tangled my fingers in her silky hair. Her smell was intoxicating. Her big brown eyes were magnetizing; I could not get myself to look away.

She must have felt it too because she looked up at me with a questioning look on her face. Her eyes bore into mine, as I felt myself losing my sense of restraint. I wanted to kiss her. I needed to kiss her.

Why the hell was I feeling like this?

As she moved closer to me, I could feel her breath lingering on my face. The atmosphere was thick with sexual tension. Why was she making me feel this way?

I couldn't do this. She was too tempting. I knew I had to stop her. I had to stop myself. I wasn't going to be able to stop myself from doing something I knew I was going to regret if I let her come any closer to me.

Why did she have to be so young? Why did she have to be Mr. Montgomery's daughter? Why did she have to be so breathtakingly beautiful and tempting, yet forbidden?

A voice in the back of my head told me to move away. Move away now before I could not stop myself. Move away now before I did something I knew I would regret. My breathing hitched in my throat, as her hand came up to my face and grazed my cheek.

She looked deep into my eyes for a moment as she slowly moved even closer to me, as if testing me and waiting to see if I was going to push her away.

I didn't.

I closed my eyes as our lips met in a gentle kiss. Her touch was electrifying. Her lips were so luscious and so soft against mine. She wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me closer to her. I tangled my fingers in her hair as our lips slowly moved against each other's. As she moved to deepen the kiss, I suddenly broke away from her mouth as I remembered her age and how wrong this was.

As my heartbeat went wild from our kiss, I was surprised she couldn't hear it.

I had never felt such pleasure, such fulfillment, from a simple kiss. I wanted more. I needed more. I wanted to kiss her again, but I knew it was so wrong.

As she moved closer to me to kiss me again, I quickly moved away. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't let her kiss me again. I just couldn't.

"Why?" She whispered.

I remained quiet at her question.

Why couldn't I kiss you again? God, all I wanted to do was throw caution into the wind and kiss you. Touch you. Feel your body pressed against mine. Feel your heart beating wildly in sync with mine. Tangle my fingers in your long wavy hair as our mouths moved against each other's. To kiss you like you'd never kissed anyone before; our breathing heavy, tongues in a passionate battle for dominance, sparks erupting throughout our bodies as we crushed ourselves against each other.

But I couldn't. Because you're sixteen years old. Because you're Byron Montgomery's daughter. Because _this is wrong._

I looked back up at her, as she watched my every move, hurt and confusion written all over her eyes.

"We can't do this." I said hurriedly, as I got up from my spot beside her on the floor and quickly made my way into my bedroom, leaving a confused _ teenager _who I was having unexplainable feelings towards, sitting on the floor in the living room of my apartment.

I leaned against the wall, as I tried to steady my rapid breathing. I touched my lips lightly, still able to faintly feel Aria's pressed against my own. My eyes closed at the memory of her lips on mine. It had felt so good. It didn't feel wrong either. It didn't feel like we were making a mistake. That was the problem. If it had felt wrong or if it did not have any impact on either of us, then the kiss wouldn't have been a problem. But it had sparked something in both of us. _ It had felt right. _

I knew this couldn't go on. There was no way we could act any more on our feelings for each other.

As much as I didn't want to do it, I knew that there was only one thing I could do to make sure nothing more happened between Aria and I.

I dug my phone out of my pocket and flipped it open before dialing a familiar number.

I closed my eyes as I said the words I didn't want to, but knew I had to: "Mr. Montgomery? I'm sorry… But I don't think it's a good idea if Aria stays here any longer."

**FINALLY THEY KISSED. I wanted that to happen just as much as you guys did. Hope you liked this, PLEASE REVIEW! If I get a lot of reviews, I'll update this again before episode 2 of season 3! **


	8. Chapter 8

**For the last chapter being the chapter they finally kissed, I was expecting more responses. Thank you to those of you who did review though: Dallas, WWKMDbracelets, nightmares,and,dreamers, hiding,my,heart, OnceAWildcatAlwaysAWildcat, thecandygirl1, HarrylovesGinny09, teen at heart, LauralovesPLL, SolitudeMyLove, SophieeLeon, LucyyyPLL, anonymous, Calypsana, foreverdream7, livelaughluv9676, anon, anonymous, and Notinyourlifetimehoney. **

Ezra's POV

"Why? What happened?" Byron asked, confusion laced throughout his voice.

I remained quiet, unsure of how to answer his question. I couldn't tell him that I had kissed Aria, he was depending on me to take care of her, not kiss her!

I shook my head. How did I get myself into this situation?

"We're just… having some disagreements about some things. I don't think she deserves to be having a harder time than she already is…" I lied.

"Are your… disagreements," He paused for a moment. "That detrimental to her staying with you?"

Yes, they are, Byron, because I'm developing feelings that I shouldn't be, for your teenage daughter.

"Ezra, we were really depending on you being able to take care of her. We know she's having a really hard time with this, even though she tries not to show it, and I really don't want her all alone in the house. Who knows what those irrational emotions of hers will make her do. She is a teenage girl after all." He chuckled.

I didn't reply, not seeing anything funny about his statement or this whole situation.

Byron let out a long sigh on the other end of the phone. "Okay. If it really becomes a problem and she really can't stay with with, then you can take her back to the house and I'll call Mike to come back home. They can stay together at the house until Ella is well enough to come home. I won't involve you in our family problems anymore."

I leaned my body against the wall behind me. He really was depending on me. I couldn't make this about me anymore. This was about taking care of Aria while her mother was in the hospital being treated for cancer. This was about being there for Byron and his family.

"I'm really sorry about all of this, Byron. I'll talk to Aria, see if we can make this work."

"Thank you Ezra. You don't understand how big of a favor you're doing for us." Byron reminded me.

"Of course." I sighed.

Was I really doing the right thing? How was Aria going to stay here without us talking about that kiss? I knew we had to talk about it, but God knows I really didn't want to.

"Well if that's all…" Byron began.

"Yeah. Um, hey, Byron?" I asked. "How's Ella doing?"

"She started chemotherapy this morning, so hopefully that helps." He said softly.

"I'm so sorry... That you guys are going through all of this."

"Thanks, Ezra. Just… don't tell Aria yet. About the chemo. Ella wants to tell Aria herself." Byron said quietly.

"I won't." I promised.

"Thanks, I'll talk to you later." Byron said, before hanging up.

I knew I would have to face Aria now. I needed her to understand that that kiss meant nothing. It couldn't mean anything.

I picked up my phone and slid it back into my pocket. I left the room and walked back into the main room of my apartment to see Aria standing in the kitchen. She pulled a pan out from one of the cupboards and set it on top of the stove.

"I'm sorry." I said softly, talking about our kiss. "It won't happen again."

She didn't turn around to face me as she replied. "You don't have to be sorry. It was my fault too."

An awkward silence took over the apartment. She walked over to the fridge and grabbed a package of chicken before moving over to the sink.

"You don't have to do that." I told her.

"Do what?" She asked, never once turning to look at me.

"Cook."

She began opening cupboards and pulling random things out. I watched as she grabbed the flour, salt, pepper, and oregano, and set them down onto the small counter beside the stove before replying.

"I want to." She said curtly, clearly not wanting to talk to me. She opened up the fridge and began searching for something.

For being so open twenty minutes ago, she had done a complete 180. When I had gotten home, she was eagerly ready to tell me all about the scrapbook she was making for Ella. Now, she refused to even look at me.

She let out a groan when she couldn't find whatever it was that she was looking for.

"Do you have mushrooms?" She asked, not bothering to turn around as she asked me the question. She continued searching through the fridge as she waited for me to reply.

"No, I don't." I informed her.

She sighed as she closed the fridge and finally turned around to face me.

"Can you go get me some?" The look on her face was daring me to say no.

"Yeah." I finally replied a few moments later, as I grabbed my wallet and keys. "Text me if you need anything else, Aria."

I left the apartment and headed to my car. Why was she acting like this? Was she shutting me out like this because we had kissed?

Aria's POV 

I let out a huge sigh as Ezra finally left the apartment. God, that had taken him long enough to leave. I just wanted to be completely alone for a while. Surely he felt the same sparks I had when we kissed, but then why had he run away like that? Who was he talking to on the phone in his room? It would have been wrong to listen in on his conversation, but now I regret not listening to it! What if it had been about me?

I grabbed a big bowl from a cupboard before mixing the flour, salt, pepper, and oregano into the bowl. After cleaning the chicken, I coated each piece in the flour mixture.

I set the chicken aside and washed my hands. I couldn't make any more of it without the mushrooms.

I grabbed my phone and sat down on the couch. I flipped through the channels on the TV, trying to find some random show to waste my time with until Ezra got back.

_Buzz Buzz_

I picked up my phone to see that Mike was calling.

"Hey, Mike." I smiled as I muted the TV and curled my knees up to my chest.

"Aria." He said softly, on the other end of the phone.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Dylan's downstairs talking to his mom, so I thought I'd call you now that I had the chance. Is Ezra there?"

"Uh, no. He ran to the store." I said as I picked at my cuticles, not wanting to talk about Ezra.

"Have you heard anything more about mom?" He asked.

"No," I said softly. "I haven't. I want to go see her soon though."

"When you go, can you come pick me up so I can go with you?"

"Of course, Mike. Maybe tomorrow we can go." I said.

"Actually," Mike began. "If you aren't doing anything tonight, why don't we go in a few hours? It's still early."

I glanced at the clock on Ezra's wall. It read 6:17.

"Yeah, sure. I'll ask Ezra and let you know what he says."

"Thanks, Aria." He replied.

"I should have just brought my car here, that way he wouldn't have to drive me everywhere." I said.

"Dad wouldn't let you, remember?" Mike chuckled. "You know, I still can't get over the fact that they're letting you stay with him. It's just… not them, you know? They would never have let you stay with an older guy all by yourself before…" Mike paused. "Before mom got sick." He finished quietly.

He was right. They never would have. But Ella getting cancer seemed to be changing everything.

"Mike, this is a different… situation." I said quietly. "They wouldn't be making me stay here unless it was completely necessary."

I closed my eyes at my words, as it hit me just how serious this was. How long did they think Ella would have to be in the hospital? They had made me stay with Ezra, so they obviously knew it would be longer than a few days. God, why couldn't she just get better? Why did this have to happen?

"Remember the day we got back from Iceland?" Mike suddenly asked, whisking me out of my thoughts.

Of course I did. Coming back to Rosewood that day had brought back a flood of memories: All about Alison's death and all about Byron cheating on Ella. God, he _ needed _ to tell her already! But he couldn't because it would crush her!

How could Ella's life take such a turn for the worst in the blink of an eye? One minute, she had been healthy and happy with Byron, and next, she's in the hospital with cancer and secretly married to a cheater.

"You weren't home, but mom had gotten out a few wine glasses for her and dad. She had found pigtunia in a box and they were cuddling together on the couch just talking. It was the first time I had seen them act like a married couple again in so long before Iceland."

I felt my eyes begin to well up with tears at Mike's words. That day, Byron had reminded me that I needed to keep his secret to protect Ella. Was I really protecting her by not telling her? Or was I hurting her?

"Aria?" Mike asked, a few moments later.

"Yeah," I sniffled, as I wiped away the stray tears from my cheeks with the sleeve of my shirt.

"Aria, are you crying?" He asked, astonished.

I heard Ezra's key in the lock of the apartment as I quickly wiped away all the tears from my face.

"Mike, I got to go, Ezra's back. I'll ask him about tonight and let you know." I hung up on him before he could even reply.

I got up from the couch and walked over to the kitchen. Without even saying a word to Ezra, I pulled out the few groceries from the paper bag and took the mushrooms to the stove. From the corner of my eye, I knew he was watching me. I turned the stove on and placed each piece of chicken into the pan.

"Aria." Ezra finally said.

I didn't respond. I really didn't want to talk to him. I flipped the chicken over in the pan as I mixed the mushrooms in as well.

"Aria." Ezra tried again, waiting for me to turn around to look at him.

I ignored him once again. He was starting to get on my nerves. Why couldn't he just get the hint that I didn't want to talk to him? Especially after what had happened earlier.

"Aria! Will you stop being so immature and answer me?" Ezra asked, angrily.

"I'm being immature?" I cried, as I finally turned around to face him. "You're the one who kissed me and ran away."

"Dammit, Aria. Can you forget about that kiss and think about your mother for a moment? Byron talked to me earlier."

"So?"

"Even though you're mad at me, I did promise to tell you everything that he tells me. I'm not going back on that."

"Okay." I crossed my arms across my chest and shrugged, as I waited for him to tell me whatever he needed to tell me.

"Ella began chemo this morning." He finally revealed.

My breathing became slow and ragged at his words. I felt my eyes begin to water as I sunk down into the chair beside me, trying to process what he had just said. She was getting chemo. This was becoming all the more real. _ Ella was really sick. _

"Are you okay?" Ezra asked softly as he moved closer to me.

I looked up to see him standing less than a foot away from me with a concerned look in his eyes.

"Stop." I got up from the chair and walked back over to the stove. "I'm fine."

I saw Ezra shake his head as he sat down at the table.

I quickly turned away, not wanting him to know I was looking at him. I knew I needed to stop acting like this, but I couldn't stop myself. I was just so mad at him.

"Did Byron tell you to tell me?" I asked quietly a few moments later.

Ezra shook his head. "He told me not to tell you… But I promised to tell you everything he told me."

"Well he specifically told you not to tell me, so you shouldn't have." I said, beginning to get angry at him. Why did he tell me? I didn't want to know this!

Now I knew what to expect when I saw Ella again. Her hair would be getting thinner and thinner, before eventually falling out. Who knew if she would be throwing up and clutching her stomach in pain, once again? Who knew what was going to happen to her the next time I saw her.

"Aria, you wanted to know about everything that happened to her." Ezra reminded me.

"Well, I don't want to know anymore." I bit out.

"God, Aria, stop acting like such a-"

"A what?" I asked angrily, turning around to face him, daring him to say it.

"A child."

"Well you know what, in case you haven't realized it, I am a child. That's why my parents needed you to _babysit _me!" I exclaimed angrily as I shut off the stove before grabbing my purse and walking out of the apartment, leaving Ezra sitting at the table in shock.

The tears that were forming in my eyes began falling quickly down my cheeks as I walked as fast as I could away from that apartment. The rain fell hard onto the street, soaking me within minutes. I broke out into a run as the rain fell harder. I ran away from the apartment, as far as I possible could from Ezra.

He was ruining everything. None of this should be happening! His kiss shouldn't have made me feel the way it did! I shouldn't be attracted to him! Ella shouldn't be sick! Byron shouldn't have cheated! My life was falling apart at the seams, and there was absolutely nothing I could do to fix it.

**Hope you guys liked this, PLEASE REVIEW! If I get twenty or more reviews, I'll update again before 3x03. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Have you guys seen the promo pics of Ezria for 3x05? Does Jenna invite Ezra to her birthday party or does Aria bring him along? I feel like that would be kind of weird if she invited him, but anything to bring more Ezria to the episode is fine with me.**

**Thanks for your reviews, even though we didn't hit twenty, I decided to update anyway: Ellen, LucyyyPLL, EzriaAddict, purplefreak, ezrialover, anon, LauralovesPLL, Nabrenda12, hiding,my,heart, alannaxsaddy, HaNpllfan, nightmares,and,dreamers, HarrylovesGinny09, SophieeLeon, Kayla, Notinyourlifetimehoney, and foreverdream7! **

**Here's a long, intense, chapter for you guys. I was going to split it into two chapters, but it flows better as one. Hope you like it! **

My hands shook violently as I shoved my key through the keyhole of the house. I slid off my soaking wet raincoat and threw it onto the couch before locking the door and heading up to my room.

I was going to call my dad in the morning and tell him that I didn't want to stay with Ezra anymore. I couldn't do this anymore. I just couldn't handle it. He was being the adult and the child at the same time. He knew it was wrong to kiss me back and that's why he broke off the kiss as quickly as he did. But he was being a complete child by running away.

I tossed my bag onto my bed as I kicked off my shoes and climbed on top of my bed. I took a deep breath as I tried to steady my rapid breathing. I looked around the untouched room as I tried to calm myself down. I felt my eyes begin to water as I curled my knees up to my chest. I couldn't break down. Not now.

I grabbed my bag and dug through it, searching for my notebook. As soon as my pen hit the page, all my emotions came pouring out. The tears that I had been holding back finally spilled over, cascading down my cheeks.

_Ella,_

_Please. Please get better. I want you to come home. I don't want to do this anymore. I can't do this anymore. I can't be around Ezra anymore. He's... God I don't know what he is! That kiss changed everything between us. If he hadn't kissed me back, then I would have understood his reason for running away, but he did! And it felt so wonderful, mom, as if his lips were meant to be kissing mine and mine only. At least he doesn't have a girlfriend, but dad would never forgive him if he found out Ezra had kissed me._

_I'm feeling things for him that I shouldn't be. I know I should only look at him as Dad's colleague, but I can't help it. I've never met anyone like him before. He loves English and all of the classics, he's so caring and he always knows the right words to say. The way he talks to me and reassures me that you're going to get better shows that he genuinely cares. That I'm not just another teenager girl. _

_I don't know what to do, Mom. I need your help. I need you to get better. _

_Ezra told me that you've started chemo. Once he said those words, it finally struck me how serious this is. How sick you really are. _

_Mom, there's a chance that you won't make it out of this alive. I can't lose you. Mom, you're a fighter. You need to fight this. You need to get better. Please. For me. Get better. _

_All my love, _

_Aria _

My tears fell onto the page, smudging the dark ink. I ran my fingers through my hair in a frustrated manner as a loud sob escaped my lips. I couldn't handle this anymore. I just wanted it all to be over. I needed it all to be over. My feelings for Ezra needed to go away, Ella needed to get better, and Byron needed to man up and admit that he cheated. Fresh, hot, tears fell from my eyes as I realized just how alone I was. Ella was never going to realize how much pain this was causing me because I couldn't let her know. I couldn't put her in more pain and anguish then she already was in. Byron never understood how much trouble he put me through by asking me to keep his infidelity a secret from Ella. And Ezra… all I wanted in this moment was to have Ezra's arms wrapped around me as he assured me that everything would be all right. But I couldn't have that. I couldn't have any of that.

I jumped as I heard a stumbling come from the floor below. What the hell was that? Who was here?

I had forgotten to lock the door when I came back here! How could I have been so stupid? I grabbed my cell phone as I slowly got up from the bed and wiped away my tears with my hand.

"Ew," I muttered as I realized all my mascara had run. I wiped my hand on my jeans as I slowly moved closer to the door, clutching my cell phone tightly in my hand. I leaned my back against the wall as I listened for more movements.

"Aria?" I heard a voice cry out in desperation from downstairs. By now, I would know that voice anywhere. It was the source of half my problems. I began crying harder at the sound of his voice as I crumbled to the floor in tears.

Ezra burst into my room a moment later and quickly enveloped me in his arms as he saw me crying on the floor. I buried my face in his collarbone and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck as he wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, holding me securely against him. I couldn't stop the sobs that escaped my lips as I remembered how good it felt to be wrapped in Ezra's embrace. He kissed the crown of my head as I cried into his chest, soaking his shirt with my salty tears. He began rubbing my back while whispering soothing nothings into my ear.

"Come here," Ezra whispered, as he led me over to my bed. He gently laid me down on the bed. As he laid down beside me, I reached my arms out to pull him closer to me. He wrapped his arms around me as I cuddled up against him. With the pad of his thumb, he brushed away my tears, before he held me closer against him. He placed delicate kisses along my hairline while he rubbed my back soothingly, urging me to let it all out. I couldn't stop the tears that were falling from my eyes. He began rubbing soothing circles on my shoulders, trailing down my back.

Why was everything falling apart? Why did this, being wrapped in Ezra's arms, feel so right, if kissing him was wrong? It just made no sense. None at all.

"Shh…" Ezra whispered, as another loud sob escaped my lips. "It's all going to be okay."

He began running his fingers delicately through my hair, trying to calm me down.

"No, it's not." I choked out as I hastily wiped away my tears. "It's not gonna be okay, Ezra. Everything… everything's falling apart." I whimpered as I looked up at him with teary eyes. I bit my lip as fresh hot tears fell from my eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Aria." Ezra whispered, as he hugged me tighter against him.

Tears streamed rapidly down my face as I buried myself in Ezra's embrace, holding him closely against me.

I tried to hold back more tears as I realized what a foolish little girl Ezra must see me as. One minute I'm yelling at him for running away from our kiss, and the next, I'm breaking down in his arms.

My body shook with the tears that were taking over me. However, being wrapped in Ezra's arms was providing me with a comfort I couldn't place. He began stroking my hair from the crown of my head down to my back before kissing the top of my head once again.

I took a deep breath as I tried to steady my uneven breathing and control my tears. As I lifted my head from his chest, Ezra reached up and brushed away my tears with the pad of his thumb.

"You okay?" He asked softly, as he began rubbing my back soothingly again.

"Y-yeah." I nodded, as I regained control over my emotions.

I was just a mess. A complete, utter, mess.

I removed myself from Ezra's embrace and got up from the bed. I walked over to my bathroom and grabbed a tissue to remove my mascara. As I caught I glimpse of myself in the mirror, I realized just how hard I had been crying moments later. My cheeks were stained black with mascara and my eyes were red and puffy.

I made a mental note to myself to only wear waterproof mascara from now on.

Ezra's POV

I began studying the titles on her bookshelf above her bed as I waited for her to finish cleaning herself up in the bathroom. I looked up when I heard her enter the room again.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, as she took a step closer to the bed.

"For what?" I asked; confusion laced throughout my voice. What in the world was she sorry for?

"For… breaking down like that…" She admitted, as a cute pink blush began to appear on her cheeks.

Why was she embarrassed about it? She was going through so much right now, why would she feel like she didn't have the right to break down and let all her emotions out once in a while?

"Aria-" I began, but she quickly interrupted me.

"And for running away." She said hurriedly.

Why was she apologizing for that? I was that one that caused it. It was my own fault. I had kissed her back, yet I ran away like a coward because I couldn't deal with the fact that I was developing feelings stronger than friendship with a sixteen year old girl.

"No… I made you run away." I shook my head at her, trying to make her understand that it was my own fault, not hers.

As she opened her mouth to object, she must have realized it was true as well, for she closed it and said nothing.

"I'm sorry. It's just… I've never done this before." I admitted as I got up from the bed.

"What? Have to babysit a teenager?" She gave me a small smile.

"No…" I said softly, as our eyes met again. "I'm feeling things for you that I shouldn't be, and I don't know why." I said as I moved closer to her.

"Why is that a bad thing?" She asked quietly, after a few moments of silence following my confession.

"You're sixteen, Aria. Whatever this is," I motioned between the two of us, "Is never going to work."

"Why not?" She demanded, looking at me in disbelief.

"Your parents would never forgive me if I fell in love with their daughter. Especially your father. He wants me to look after you, not be with you." I reminded her.

"Who cares what they think? Their opinions don't matter." Aria snaked her arms around my neck as she moved closer to me.

She was so beautiful. Her big brown eyes were hungrily searching mine, waiting for my response.

As she moved closer, I knew I should push her away, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. My heart rate sped up as I felt her hot and heavy breath fanning my face. She moved ever so closer to me, waiting for my reaction to her move.

"For tonight…" She whispered. "This feels right. Let's worry about the consequences later."

My eyes fluttered closed as our lips met in a soft kiss. Her fingers lightly traced my cheek as I realized I was kissing her. Again. And God, it felt so good. Her lips were so soft and warm. Her mouth felt so perfect against mine.

I quickly realized what I was doing once again. I was kissing a teenager. I couldn't do this. It wasn't right.

As Aria realized I was about to move away, she broke the kiss off first.

"Tell me that didn't feel good. Tell me that didn't feel right." Aria pressed, talking about our kiss.

"No, no." I pulled away from her embrace as I ran my hand through my hair in a frustrated manner. This was wrong. I wasn't supposed to be feeling this way. Her touch shouldn't be having this affect on me. "We can't do this." I told her.

"Yes, we can." She said softly, her eyes never leaving mine, as if waiting for me to crack and admit how great it felt to be kissing her.

I shook my head at her, but she moved closer to me. I could feel her hot and heavy breath fanning my face as my heartbeat sped up. Before I knew what was happening, I threw caution into the wind and closed the gap between the two of us. I pressed my lips against hers; completely ignoring how wrong this was and that I should be the mature adult here. I didn't care anymore.

She wrapped her arms around my neck as I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her body flush against mine. She tangled her fingers in my hair as she crushed her body against mine, deepening the kiss. Her lips moved more roughly against mine as she let her fingers trail languidly down my arm. Her touch sent sparks throughout my body, leaving me craving more. I held her close against me as we kissed each other hungrily.

I broke off the kiss as I regained control of my body again. It was like I was powerless under her touch. Under her gaze. Why did she have such control over me? Why was a sixteen year old making me feel like this?

I traced her lower lip with my finger as I realized her parents were going to kill me when they found out I had kissed their daughter. They were never going to forgive me. They trusted me to take care of her, and now I was kissing her.

I closed my eyes and sighed. At this point, I really didn't know what to do anymore.

"Hey…" Aria said softy, as she ran her hand down the side of my face. I opened my eyes to see her gazing into mine once again. "They don't have to know." She reminded me.

I gave her a small smile as she unwrapped her arms from around my neck.

"Do you want to go back?" I asked as I glanced up at the clock. It was now eleven thirty.

"Actually…" She began, as a light pink blush snuck up on her cheeks from embarrassment. "Could we go see Ella?"

"Aria," I began. "It's almost midnight."

"So?" She shrugged. "She might be awake."

I sighed and gave her a small smile. I truly was powerless over her. "Sure."

"Thanks," She breathed, as she wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. I kissed the crown of her head before taking her hand and leading her out of the house.

We got into my car and headed over to the hospital.

As Aria sighed and looked out the window, I took her hand in mine, holding hers in mine the rest of the ride there.

As we entered the hospital, a voice stopped us, before we could walk deeper into the building.

"Excuse me miss, visiting hours were over a while ago." The receptionist told Aria.

"We're family." Aria said curtly, before leading me down the hall to Ella's room.

I followed Aria down the hall and watched her as she lightly knocked on Ella's door before slowly opening it up. Byron appeared at the door a moment later, stopping her from entering the room.

"What are you guys doing here?" Byron asked tiredly, as he walked out of Ella's room and closed the door behind him.

"I wanted to see her." Aria responded, obviousness oozing from her voice.

"In the middle of the night?" Byron asked skeptically, raising his eyebrows at his daughter.

"Yeah." Aria nodded, before pushing past him and entering Ella's room.

I made a move to follow Aria into the room, but Byron placed a hand on my arm, stopping me.

"What's going on with her?" Byron asked.

I shrugged. "She's just had a long night. I think it's better if we don't question her actions right now, if you know what I mean."

Byron nodded. I pushed the door open and entered Ella's room, Byron following closely behind me.

Aria's POV

I walked into the room to find Ella sleeping peacefully in the hospital bed. What was I expecting? It was past midnight. Why would she have been awake?

I slowly moved closer to her relaxed form and delicately took her hand in mine, as if she was fragile enough to break at my touch.

Ezra and Byron were talking quietly in the far corner of the room by the door.

"She's been having trouble sleeping." I overheard Byron tell Ezra. "Usually she sleeps for three hours before something or someone wakes her up." Byron glanced down at his watch. "She normally wakes up around this time of night."

As if on cue, Ella's hand moved slightly in mine. Her eyes fluttered open as she regained her vision. She broke out into a small smile as she saw me sitting beside her.

"Aria." She whispered softly. "How are you, honey?"

I shook my head at her. Why was she asking me how I was doing? She was the one hooked up to tubes and wires, lying in a hospital bed.

"What's wrong?" She asked, worry lines appearing all over her face as she watched me intently.

"Nothing, mom." I assured her. "How are you feeling?"

Ella moved over slightly on the bed to make room for me to sit down beside her. I squeezed her hand lightly in mine as I sat down.

"Exhausted." She sighed. "Did dad tell you the latest news?"

"No, what happened?" I shook my head as I was filled with worry. The tone of her voice was not reassuring and the pained look in her eyes was filling me with fear. "There would have been a… complication… if they had preformed the surgery." Ella said slowly. "So they decided not to do it yet."

"So," I began, worriedly. "Wh-What's going to happen now?"

"They…" She began tiredly. "They started the chemo yesterday… Hopefully that helps."

Ella frowned as she shifted her body in her bed.

"What's wrong?" I asked, noticing how uncomfortable she seemed.

"Nothing…" She frowned. "I just want to sit up."

I got up to help her prop a pillow behind her head so she could sit up. As she lifted her head from her pillow, I gasped, as I saw loose delicate strands of brown hair left on the pillow.

I stumbled backwards at the sight, slightly sickened. I couldn't help myself. I couldn't handle it. All of a sudden, I felt someone's hands on my shoulders, steadying me and making sure I didn't fall. I looked up to see Ezra looking down at me, worry filling his eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly.

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Y-yeah. Sorry. I just… wasn't expecting that."

I tried to steady my rapid breathing. Ella looked at me with concern etched all over her face.

"I'll be right back." I said, before quickly leaving the room. I leaned against the wall outside her hospital room and closed my eyes. Why couldn't I handle a few pieces of stray hair? Why had that sight caused so much anguish? _Why was I suddenly so weak? _

Byron appeared outside the room a moment later.

"Aria, are you okay?" Byron asked, as he closed the door to Ella's room behind him.

"I'm fine…" I assured him. "But clearly, she's not." I reminded him.

"Aria, there's nothing we can do for her. The doctors will do everything they can. We can only be there for her." He reminded me.

"Because you've done such a good job of that in the past." I spat out at him.

"What are you talking about Aria?" Byron asked, in pure confusion.

"You've betrayed her, in the one of the cruelest ways possible… and as she lies in there, we don't know what is going to happen to her next." I said.

"Aria-" Byron began.

"You need to tell her." I said, without skipping a beat.

"She's right." I heard Ezra say. I turned around, completely taken by surprise. When had he come out here?

"You told him?" Byron exclaimed angrily at me.

I looked at him in disgust. "Yeah, I did. And he made me realize that you need to tell her. Before it's too late."

I took a step closer to him. "How would you feel," I began, in a menacing whisper. "If she died, without knowing you cheated on her?" I snarled angrily at him.

All of a sudden, the door opened slightly beside us. "What's going on out here?" Ella asked, looking slightly dazed.

Byron freaked out at the sight of his wife up and about. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Ella? Why are you up?" Byron put his arms around Ella, as he tried to lead her back into her room.

"God, Byron, stop." Ella weakly pushed Byron's arms off of her. "I just wanted to get up and walk around a little bit. I'm sore from lying down for so long." She complained. "Plus the two of you wouldn't stop yelling at each other. What is going on with you two?" Ella looked between Byron and I, waiting for an answer.

"Nothing, Ella." Byron let out a huge sigh in relief as he realized Ella had not heard our previous conversation. He was safe. She still didn't know.

"I can't believe you." I spat out at Byron. "Look at her. Think about what you're keeping from her. And you call yourself a good husband." I spat out, before turning on my heel and walking away from my parents.

"Aria!" Byron yelled. "Don't say anything."

"Why?" I cried out as I turned back to face my parents and Ezra. "What are you going to do? You do know that I have the capability of telling her for you, don't you? How do you think she'll feel, hearing the news from me and not you?" I snarled at him.

"Aria. I'm standing right here." Ella reminded me. "What are you talking about?" She asked desperately.

"Why don't you ask your husband? He loves you so much and he promised he'd never hurt you!" I shot Byron a glare of disgust before walking out of the hospital, Ezra following closely behind me.

As soon as I stepped out of the hospital, a cool gust of the nighttime air hit my body. Tears began falling down my cheeks as I realized just how cruel I had been to my father. But he needed to tell her!

I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around my body, holding me against them. Ezra ran his fingers through my hair delicately as he held me close against him. Another sob escaped my lips as I realized that this was never going to end. Ella's cancer was always going to be here. My feelings for Ezra weren't going away any time soon. And Byron's infidelity was always going to be a part of his past. I wrapped my arms around Ezra's neck as I buried my head into his collarbone, soaking his shirt with my tears. At that moment, the only thing that mattered was that I was safe in Ezra's arms.

**This was the longest chapter I've written in a while! This is probably my favorite chapter so far, hope you guys liked it too! Please review! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you so much for your reviews! : ezriaFTW, Ellen, SolitudeMyLove, alannaxsaddy, nightmares,and,dreamers, HarrylovesGinny09, LucyyyPLL, Calypsana, literaturefrenzy23, foreverdream7, Guest, dancer24, PrettyLittleSwifty13, Guest, CheyeM1287, HaNpllfan, WWKMDbracelets, hiding,my,heart, Guest, ezrialover, SophieeLeon, livelaughluv9676, JoJo Sky, looooosse, LauralovesPLL, iBreakTradition, and Notinyourlifetimehoney! **

**28 reviews? Thank you so much guys! I can't believe that so many people are as in love with this story as I am. **

**Here's another long chapter! Enjoy! **

Aria's POV

The heavy rain pounded down around us as I tried to control my tears. "Do you want to go home?" Ezra whispered to me as he held me closely against him.

I looked up at him with glassy eyes and nodded.

"Let me… Let me just say bye to Ella first." I wiped my tears away as I turned to enter the hospital again.

Ezra followed me inside and back towards Ella's room.

"I'll be right back." He said, as he spotted Byron pacing back and forth at the end of the hallway and walked towards him. I entered the room but stopped abruptly as I spotted a nurse peering over Ella. Staying near the door, I remained quiet, not wanting to disturb them.

"All done." The nurse announced as she held up two small tubes of blood. I couldn't help but cringe at the sight.

"Aria, are you okay?" Ella asked, as she saw me standing by the door.

I walked over to her and took her hand in mine. "Yeah, I just wanted to say bye. We were heading back home."

The nurse walked over to the other side of Ella and picked up the bottle of water that was sitting on the table.

"Do you want me to fill this up for you while I go get your pill?" The nurse asked.

"That would be great, thanks." Ella replied before turning back to me.

The nurse gave us a small smile before leaving the room.

"Her name's Sarah. She's a sweetheart." Ella said, talking about her nurse.

I smiled at her, glad she had nurses she liked and trusted.

"Aria," Ella looked at me questioningly. "What just happened? When you ran out of here? What were you talking about?"

I bit my lip in nervousness as I looked up to meet her eyes. "It's not my place to tell you." I whispered.

"Tell me what?" Ella asked, urgently.

I shook my head. "No, mom. I can't. I just can't."

I couldn't break her heart like that. I couldn't put her in more pain.

"Aria. I thought we didn't keep secrets from each other." Ella said, her voice growing stronger by the second.

As I was about to reply, to my advantage, a nurse walked into the room once again.

"Mrs. Montgomery, we've received the blood work from your labs…" She paused. "We have a situation."

"I have to go." I said quickly, as I rushed out of the room. I couldn't handle listening to whatever the nurse had to say. I stopped just outside the hospital doors as the rain came down harder around me.

I was so exhausted. I just could not handle any more bad news. Everything just kept getting worse and worse. When were things going to take a turn for the better for Ella? Why did all of this have to happen now?

Ezra appeared behind me seconds later.

"Do you want to just go back to my house?" I asked, turning to Ezra. "I don't think this rain is going to let up anytime soon. It's only ten minutes away and your apartment is twenty five."

"Sure," Ezra nodded. "At least until the storm begins to go away."

Ezra took my hand in his as he quickly led me to his car. In the process, the two of us had gotten completely soaked.

I knew that Byron wasn't going to tell Ella about his infidelity any time soon. Although she needed to know, now was the worst possible time to tell her. She was already hurting because of the cancer. What would happen to her if her family began hurting her too? I couldn't tell her now. I had to protect her. It did not matter what happened later, protecting her was the most important thing right now.

I turned towards Ezra, who never once took his eyes off the road. He couldn't be concentrating that hard on driving, so what was he thinking about?

Me? That kiss we shared? It had felt so amazing yet it was so wrong. What were Byron and Ella going to say when they find out? What were they going to do? Surely they would not let me stay with him anymore. But he's helped me so much since Ella was admitted to the hospital. Maybe he hasn't realized it, but he's helped me realize that Ella can get better. That this isn't the end. That there is always going to be a chance that this will all go away.

How was Mike dealing with all of this? The few times I talked to him, he never let his guard down. He is better than me at hiding when he is hurting, but this time, what if it goes too far? What if hiding all the pain he is in just hurts him more? I have Ezra to talk to, to hold me when I can't handle it all. But Mike, who does Mike have?

The car ride back to my house was mostly quiet, consisting of me being consumed by my own thoughts.

I glanced at the clock on the dashboard of the car. It was 1:45 in the morning. I leaned my head against the window as I closed my eyes. I just wanted to bury myself under the covers of my bed and fall asleep. Escape from all this drama for a few hours of peaceful bliss.

"Hey," Ezra rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb a few moments later. "We're here."

I opened my eyes to see my house. My big, dark, and empty, house.

I smiled as Ezra opened my door for me. "Thanks," I said softly. He took my hand in his and led me towards the front door.

"Here… I've got a key." I tiredly rummaged through my purse before shoving the key through the keyhole. As I pushed the front door open, the distinct smell of dust and wood flowed towards me. What was I expecting? To smell one of Ella's cakes or batches of cookies that she had cooked earlier that day?

I climbed up the stairs to my room, Ezra following closely behind me. I entered my room and saw my journal lying open on the window seat from where I had left it earlier.

I walked over to my journal and closed it, before placing it on top of my dresser. I turned around to see Ezra leaning against he doorpost to my room, watching me.

"I can grab you something of Mike's to sleep in." I told him as I slowly walked closer to him.

He nodded in approval before I left the room to grab him some clothes. I grabbed a spare toothbrush from the guest bathroom as well, before heading back to my room.

"Here." As I handed them to him, our hands brushed against each other's once again, sending those familiar sparks throughout my body.

I slowly looked up at Ezra, who I knew had felt them too.

My breath hitched in my throat as he brushed his hand across my cheek before tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. My heartbeat sped up from his touch and in that moment, all I wanted to do was kiss him.

I turned away before he could say anything and walked over to my dresser. I pulled out a t-shirt and shorts, however, as I moved to close the drawer, a picture sitting on my dresser caught my eye. It was of Ella and I sitting in the family room of Hanna's house at a party her parents had hosted. Ella's long brown hair was cascading down her shoulders and her smile shined brightly.

The clothes in my hand slipped from my grasp and fell back into the open drawer.

"Did you see her in there? When she got up?" I whispered, without turning around to face Ezra as I spoke. I continued without waiting for his answer. "Her hair was falling out. From the chemo."

I bit my lip as I stared at the picture. She was so healthy before. So happy.

How could her life change so dramatically in such a short amount of time?

"Yeah." Ezra said softly. "I saw."

He set down the clothes I had gotten him onto the bed as he walked up behind me.

"I don't know what happened to me back there. All of a sudden, I just couldn't handle it." I hesitantly looked up to meet his eyes, not wanting to know if he thought of me as insanely weak as well.

"Aria," He began as he caressed my cheek. "You're allowed to break down. You're allowed to be hurting. I'd be concerned if you _could_ handle this all." He said softly.

I nodded before turning away from his gaze. "I just…" I sighed. "I'm just not used to this. Usually I'm the strong one. I'm not used to feeling so damn weak and vulnerable."

"How do you think Ella feels? She's the one stuck at the hospital. Have you ever thought about how weak and vulnerable she feels?" Ezra asked.

I leaned against the wall behind me as I thought about his words. She was stuck in the same lonely room all the time. She couldn't do anything by herself anymore. She had to tell the nurses when she was in pain, so they could increase her pain meds. She had to tell the nurses when she had to go to the bathroom, so they could help her in her weak state. Byron never left her side and was constantly asking whether she was okay or not. So many people were worried about her; yet there wasn't much she could do to assure them that everything will be okay.

"You're right…" I began. "It's just…"

"Hmm?" Ezra asked softly.

I opened my mouth to speak, never breaking my gaze away from his. "I don't know." I confessed, not having the faintest idea how to explain to him how I was feeling.

He gave me a small smile before walking back towards the bed and grabbing the clothes and toothbrush. A moment later, he disappeared into the bathroom across the hall.

I slipped the t-shirt and shorts I had grabbed earlier onto my body before hanging my clothes from today back up in my closet.

I walked into my bathroom to remove my makeup and brush my teeth. My long wavy hair tumbled down shoulders, falling down my back. I made a mental note to get a haircut in a month or two.

_At least you have hair to cut. _

It was getting harder and harder to see Ella in so much pain. First when she was throwing up and clutching her stomach in pain, and now losing her hair? What else is going to happen to her? What else was this cancer going to do to her?

I entered my room again when I was done in the bathroom. Out of sheer curiosity, I grabbed my laptop and powered it on.

"Aren't you tired? You were falling asleep in the car." Ezra chuckled as he walked back into my room to see me sitting on my bed with my computer in front of me.

"Yeah," I smiled at him. "I just wanted to see something."

I watched Ezra as he grabbed a random book from my bookshelf and sat down on the chair next to my closet as he began to read it.

I turned back to my computer and searched 'colon cancer' online. I figured that if I was going to be hearing all these new terms about Ella's cancer and if I was going to be watching her body go through so many more changes, it would help if I knew what some of it meant. I sighed as hundreds of articles came up.

"Where do I start?" I muttered under my breathe before clicking on the first link on the page.

After finding no interesting information, I clicked on a new website. I scanned the article but stopped abruptly as something curious caught my eye.

"Wait a minute." I said. Ezra looked up from the book he was reading and waited for me to speak. "Byron said that Ella just started chemo, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, why? What did you find?" Ezra set the book down and got up from the chair. He sat down beside me on the bed and began reading the article I had pulled up on the laptop.

"A patient with stage 1 colon cancer gets surgery than chemo. Why the hell is she getting chemo first?"

Had the doctors and nurses done something wrong? Was she going to get sicker from this? Were they going to give her chemo before the surgery? What benefit would that do? Were they going to try the chemo, see if it kills the cancer cells, then if it doesn't, switch to surgery? Did her doctors know what they were doing?

I looked up at Ezra to see he was just as confused as I was.

"They're not going to make her sicker, are they?" I whispered fearfully, afraid of knowing the answer.

Ezra remained quiet, not answering my question. A moment later, he closed my laptop. "We can ask your dad in the morning about what exactly is going on." He suggested.

I nodded and tried to stifle a yawn that threatened to escape my lips.

Ezra moved the laptop to my desk as I crawled under the covers, basking in the feeling of being in my own bed once again. He leaned down and kissed my forehead before getting up from the bed and turning out the lights.

"Goodnight, Aria." He said, as he began to leave the room.

"Ni- Wait, Ezra." I sat up in the bed, barely making out his silhouette in the dark.

"Hmm?" He opened the door a bit wider, as a little bit of the light from the hallway poured into the dark room.

"Could-" I began, feeling a little bit embarrassed. I was secretly thankful that the room was dark enough that he couldn't see the dark blush that was forming on my cheeks. "Could you stay here with me?" I asked hesitantly, afraid he would say no.

He remained silent for a moment. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." I assured him, knowing I would never be able to fall asleep without him being near me. He did not move from the door, clearly debating with himself whether or not it was a good idea to sleep in the same bed as me.

"We won't do anything." I assured him. "I just don't want to be alone." I confessed.

He sighed before turning out the hallway light and closing my door. He crawled into my bed beside me.

"Ezra?" I asked softly, turning to face him.

"Hmm?"

I traced his cheek delicately with my fingertips before moving closer to him and capturing his lips in a soft kiss. His hands cupped my cheeks as he deepened the kiss for a moment; however, to my dismay he broke off the kiss a few seconds later.

"You are so damn beautiful." He whispered to me, before pushing a lock of hair away from my eyes.

I couldn't help but smile. Even in the dark, his blue eyes were so enticing. If I had my way, I'd be kissing him all night long.

He wrapped his arms around me as I cuddled into his chest. Lying in Ezra's embrace, I quickly fell into a peaceful slumber.

Ezra's POV

She was sleeping so peacefully and I only wished that I could fall asleep like that. For the past few hours, I had been lying awake in Aria's bed, holding the beautiful girl in my arms. I couldn't stop thinking about what she had found earlier on the computer.

That article had said that Ella was supposed to get surgery before chemo for her cancer. I just could not understand why Ella was getting the chemo now, before the surgery. It was all backwards. The last thing I waned to do in this moment was remove myself from Aria's embrace, but I had to know. If the doctors weren't treating Ella right, wouldn't Byron want to know? Wouldn't Ella want to know?

I carefully got up from Aria's bed, and grabbed my cell phone from her dresser.

"Mhmm, what's wrong?" I heard Aria ask softly from the other side of the room.

Crap. I really hadn't wanted to wake her up.

"Nothing, sweetie." I assured her as I quietly walked back towards her bed. "Go back to sleep."

I kissed her forehead before she turned back towards the wall. I waited until her breathing became slow and heavy once again, before leaving the room.

I grabbed my jacket before leaving the Montgomery house. I locked the front door before getting into my car and driving away.

The clock on the dashboard read 5:15am. I knew this was an ungodly time to talk to Byron, but this couldn't wait any longer. I had already waited all night and I knew that the nervousness and anxiety that were taking over me were never going to let me sleep before I talked to Byron.

I arrived at the hospital a few minutes later. Luckily, the receptionist that had snapped at Aria the previous day was absent from the front desk.

I quickly made my way to Ella's room and knocked softly on the door. The door opened a few short moments later as Byron Montgomery looked at me incredulously.

"Ezra what are you doing here? Did Aria drag you here in the middle of the night again?" Byron exclaimed. "Wait, where is Aria?" He looked around the hall but turned back to me in confusion when he couldn't find her.

"She-she's not here." I said quickly. "Byron I-" I began but Byron interrupted me.

"Ezra, why would you leave her alone? The whole reason she's staying with you is so that she isn't alone. Do you have any idea what she's going through right now? She's an emotional teenage girl who is in distress. Do you have any idea what kind of trouble she can get herself into? What she might do to herself?"

"Byron!" I exclaimed, interrupting his rant. "She's not at my apartment. She's at your house. The storm was getting really bad and my apartment is a lot further from the hospital than your house is. She's more comfortable there." I explained. "But that's not the point."

I paused for a moment, trying to figure out the most harmless way to ask my question.

"Byron... How sick is Ella?" I asked hesitantly.

"What does that mean?" Byron asked; confusion laced throughout his voice. "She has cancer and she's started chemo to kill the cancer cells."

I closed my eyes for a moment and shook my head. Trying to get the truth out of him was going to be a lot harder than I thought.

"Aria was doing some research… She found an article that said for stage 1 cancer a patient gets surgery before chemo.

Byron nervously looked down to the ground and remained silent.

"Ella doesn't have stage 1 cancer, does she? It's worse?" I asked, quietly.

I never thought I would live to see the day Byron Montgomery would cry. However, as an eerie silence commenced, each heartbreaking second added to the pain and vulnerability that were building up behind Byron's glassy eyes.

"Byron." I whispered painfully.

It was so obvious he was hurting. But since he was the father, the man of the house, he couldn't show anyone his pain. He would never let his family realize how much all of this was hurting him.

"Ella has had this cancer for three months now. She had surgery a few weeks ago." Byron began. "Aria and Mike were both spending the weekend at a friend's house, so they didn't know. They still don't. The surgery was supposed to remove the part of her colon that contained the cancer cells, but now the doctors are telling us that the surgery didn't work the way it was supposed to. Ella started chemo two weeks ago, that's why her hair is already beginning to fall out. I was afraid Aria would realize something wasn't right… That Ella's hair was already falling out and she had only been getting chemo for one day. God, did you see Aria's face when she saw the hair on the pillow? She looked as if she would faint right then and there from the sight!" Byron exclaimed in distress.

"So Aria and Mike don't know how sick Ella really is?" I asked faintly.

Byron shook his head.

"Why are you lying to them? They're going to be furious when they finds out! Especially Aria!" I exclaimed, completely missing his rationale for not telling his kids what their mother was going through.

"Because Ezra, Aria doesn't need to be put in more pain than she's already in!" Byron tried to reason with me.

I shook my head at Byron, indicating that he was wrong. "Spending all this time with Aria has made me realize what exactly it is that's hurting her the most right now. I don't think that it's the fact that Ella has cancer, although that plays a pretty big role when she breaks down. Byron, it's not the fact that you cheated either."

Byron opened his mouth to protest but I cut him off before he could even speak.

"The reason Aria's hurting so much is because of all these secrets. She's angry that Ella kept the fact that she had cancer from her for so long. Aria thinks that her parents see her as a little girl who can't handle the truth. She's angry with you for having to keep that secret from Ella for you. And now, when she finds out you've been lying to her with the information _you have _told her? What do you think is going to happen when she finds out?" I asked. "She's going to be more hurt that you didn't tell the moment you found out."

Byron froze. I could tell that my words really hit home. He could translate what I had said to refer to what he was keeping from Aria, or what he was keeping from Ella.

"Ezra, what do you think the right thing to do here is? What's the right answer here? I know what's going to hurt them. I know what's keeping them safe. But it doesn't matter. I can sit here, reminiscing about what I should tell Aria, what I should tell Ella, what each of them deserves to know. I can go on and on about how I wish I never hurt Ella and about how none of this should have happened. That Ella shouldn't be lying in that hospital bed, getting sicker and sicker every day. That Aria shouldn't be staying with you, that she should be with her family. That I can take care of my family and make all the pain that they're going through go away. That I can make my wife healthy again. But I can't. I still haven't found the answer to my question. If you know what the answer is, what the right thing to do here is, let me know, Ezra. I'm keeping Aria and Ella safe by not telling them things that will only hurt them more. _Lying is what's keeping them from getting hurt._"

In a way, he was right. He was keeping them safe, but only for a small amount of time. Because once they both figured out what he was keeping from them, they would be in more pain than they deserved.

"You know…" Byron began. "You barely know Aria, yet she's confided in you more than she's ever confided in Ella or I."

I froze at his words. Was he suspecting anything? Was it obvious that I had feelings for his daughter? And that she had feelings for me?

"Why is that?" Byron asked, looking at me curiously.

"She's going through a very hard time, and she needs _ someone. _At the moment, I'm one of the few people who she trusts won't judge her when she lets her guard down."

"Really?" Byron asked. "What about her friends? Has she seen them lately?"

I shook my head. Aria had never mentioned any of her friends to me, nor had I seen her talk to them on the phone. Why wasn't she talking to her friends? Wouldn't a teenager lean on her friends for support when she needed it? Don't teenagers usually confide in their friends?

But Aria wasn't like every other teenager.

"Not… not that I know of. She stays with me."

Byron watched me for a moment before responding.

"Thank you, for everything you're doing for my family. I appreciate that you've been here for Aria, however, I'd hope that you know the limits of how far your relationship with her is allowed to go. She's beginning to trust you and confide in you… I hope you know how far you're allowed to take that trust."

Byron stepped closer to Ella's door. "I'll see you around, Ezra." He said, before disappearing into Ella's room.

**Would you guys be interested in a chapter completely in Ella's POV? I have a few ideas for how I could make it go, and I think it would be kind of cool to see her view on everything that's going on. Of course it will still have Ezria in it… but from Ella's perspective. **

**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, PLEASE REVIEW! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews! I can't believe we've passed 250 and I'm only on ten chapters! : Guest x7, Prettylittlefan x4, Notinyourlifetimehoney, ducygirrrrrrrll32, nightmares,and,dreamers, danser24, Brandi, LacyLies, xxPaige23xx, WTRGAL01,iBreakTradition, thecandygirl, SophieLovesPLL, LauralovesPLL, hiding,my,heart, HaNpllfan, HarrylovesFinny09, Claypsana, LucyyyPLL, slothsunite, livelaughluv9676, msbookworm93, ae1st19, WWKMDbracelets, and Nabrenda12!**

**I want to thank Prettylittlefan for all her amazing help! **

**This chapter is more calm and fluffy instead of the normal nonstop drama. Okay, well it's not really fluff, but it's a break from the drama. **

Ezra's POV

I quietly opened the door to the Montgomery house as I snuck back inside. Byron's words kept ringing throughout my head: _"I'd hope that you know the limits of how far your relationship with her is allowed to go. She's beginning to trust you and confide in you… I hope you know how far you're allowed to take that trust." _

What was I supposed to do? Not let her talk to me? Not let her cry on my shoulder? Why was Byron making this so hard? I knew being with Aria is wrong but she needs me right now. I have to be there for her, especially now when she needs me the most.

I quietly walked back into her room as I carefully slid back into the bed, being careful not to jostle the bed too much that it would wake her up. I held my breath, as she turned over before moving her body closer to mine. I wrapped my arms around her as she rested her head against my chest.

Aria was such a beautiful girl. She was so peaceful and calm while she was sleeping. How did I get so lucky as to meet such an amazing girl? She was going through such a hard time right now, yet that only showed her incredible strength. She loved Ella so much that she was keeping Byron's secret from her so that Ella wouldn't get hurt. How is Byron taking care of Ella the way that he is, while he knows in the back of his mind that he cheated on her?

Seeing the pain and vulnerability that were hidden behind Byron's eyes earlier was the clearest sign that he was hurting. Lying to Aria and Mike wasn't going to do him any good either. It just added to the pile of secrets, hurt, and lies that was slowly and painfully tearing this family apart.

How could I keep this from her? That her mother has been sick for longer than she can imagine? That her parents have been lying to her with the information that they have told her? That everyone in this family is keeping secrets from each other.

Byron was right. At the moment, lying is what was keeping Ella and Aria, probably even Mike as well, from getting hurt, but when they eventually find out, they'll be more hurt than they should have been. All because of these secrets and lies. Why was I the one who now knew everyone's secrets? I was the one who knew about Byron's infidelity, and I was hurting Ella as well by keeping that from her, even though she didn't know. I knew about how long Ella has had cancer, and now I'm going to have to keep that from Aria and Mike? And now… I have a secret of my own: I'm falling in love with Ella and Byron's teenage daughter.

I looked at Aria, who was sleeping peacefully in my arms. Both Byron and Ella would probably kill me if they knew Aria and I were sleeping in the same bed. Or that we had kissed. But I couldn't control these feelings. There was just something about her that I couldn't explain. She was unlike anyone I had ever met before. If our relationship was so wrong, the only thing I could do right now was take advantage of the moments where we didn't have to worry about what anyone else was going to say about the two of us. Such as now.

I kissed her forehead before closing my eyes. I quickly fell asleep, holding Aria in my arms.

…**..**

Ezra placed a plate of blueberry pancakes onto the table. I had to admit, while they smelled delicious, I really wasn't in the mood to eat.

I had woken up during the middle of the night last night only to find the space of my bed beside me empty. I really wanted to ask Ezra where he had been last night, but I couldn't bring myself to. What if I was being foolish? He could have just been in the bathroom or getting a glass of water from the kitchen. But his cell phone was gone so he could have left to go somewhere. Or he could have been outside making a call.

I groaned, closed my eyes, and put my head down onto the table.

"Tired?" Ezra chuckled.

I reluctantly lifted my head up to look at him. "I couldn't sleep all night."

"I'm sorry."

I sighed as I stuck my fork into one of the pancakes and put it onto my plate.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Ezra asked a few moments later, as the untouched pancakes still sat on my plate.

"I'm not really hungry." I admitted.

"You haven't eaten since lunch yesterday. Please? Just one?" Ezra begged, clearly worried about me.

I grudgingly began eating, only because I didn't want Ezra to get upset at me.

I didn't know what to do anymore. How did other people handle situations like this? I'm keeping a secret from Ella because Byron is too selfish to tell her himself and I'm keeping the fact that Ezra and I have become more than just friends from both of my parents.

What was going to happen when Ella found out about Byron's infidelity? She would obviously feel betrayed and beyond angry, but what was she going to do about it? What if she wanted to get a divorce? That would just break up my family even more. All these secrets and lies were tearing all of us apart.

What was going to happen when Ella's chemo finished? Was she going to be healthy enough to come home again? Was the chemo going to do its job and kill all traces of the cancer? If Ella came home, then Ezra would leave. The only reason he's here with me is because Byron didn't want me staying in our big house all alone. But then what would happen with our relationship?

I looked up at Ezra. He was truly so gorgeous. He cared about me. The way he kissed me and always wanted to make sure that I was okay told me that he was beginning to develop feelings for me too. But how did I know whether or not he was trying to convince himself that they were wrong? That he shouldn't develop anything closer than a friendship with me? With a sixteen year old girl. A high school girl. His colleague's teenage daughter. What did he think of himself, that this was happening to him?

I pushed the plate of uneaten pancakes away from me, unable to eat. Ezra looked up at me disappointingly.

"I'm not hungry." I reminded him. With everything going on in my life, eating was the least of my worries.

I got up from the table without saying another word and walked back into my room.

I didn't have anything planned to do today and I wasn't sure whether or not I could handle seeing Ella in the hospital again so soon. I heard Ezra put our plates in the sink as I looked around my spotless room.

From the corner of my eye, I saw the scrapbook I had begun making for Ella the other day. I grabbed it and opened it up, figuring that my house was the best place to work on it.

I took it into the living room along with a bunch of other pictures I had found earlier that I wanted to use. I sat down as I began looking through the pictures, figuring out which one to use first.

Ezra walked into the room a moment later. I remained quiet and refrained from looking up at him, knowing he was worried about me since I hadn't been eating.

"Aria?" Ezra began as he sat down on the floor beside me.

I pushed the pictures away from me as I brought my legs up to my chest. I reluctantly turned towards him as our eyes met.

"I know what you're going through right now but you have to take care of yourself. You can't keep skipping meals and doing this to your body." He said, worry laced throughout his voice.

I sighed as I bit my lip. "I know... I just don't see the point in all of it anymore. I've got more important things to deal with than eating. A lot of the things I used to love and care about before... just don't matter anymore." I admitted. "And I want to help her... Ella. I want to do something for her, to make this all better for her. To make this less painful for her. But there really isn't anything I can do for her."

Ezra's eyes never left mine as I spoke. "Maybe all she needs is for you to be there for her Aria. Just reminding her that you love her can help her a lot, too."

"I do love her… so much." I began as I felt tears welling up in my eyes. "But I'm scared, Ezra. I don't know if I can handle going back there and seeing her in all that pain again."

Ezra moved closer to me and enveloped me in his arms. I tried to blink back the tears that were forming in my eyes as I rested my head against his chest and inhaled the comforting scent of his cologne.

"I feel like every time I go to the hospital to see her, something bad happens. She gets sicker, or Byron and I get into a fight." I said as Ezra began stroking his fingers soothingly through my long hair.

Every time I went to visit Ella in the hospital, something happened that caused me to leave angry or depressed.

"Ezra?" I whispered, as I twisted myself in his arms so I could look at him properly.

"Hmm?" He asked, looking down at me with concern etched all over his eyes.

"What was it like when your parents got divorced?" I asked a few moments later.

Ezra's eyes slowly moved away from mine as he focused on a random spot on the wall.

"Honestly?" He began. "Even though their marriage had come to that… They needed it. It was so clear that my parents didn't love each other anymore. Why you would cheat on someone you're in love with, someone you're married to, the person you promised your whole life to, I'll never understand… But they weren't happy together and it was only causing stress on the rest of the family. They slept in separate rooms and they were constantly fighting. I used to lock myself in my room and blast music just so that it would drown out their voices. I hated listening to them fighting." He trailed off. "My dad moved out before the divorce because they couldn't handle being in the same house anymore."

"That's what it's going to be like when Ella finds out…" I whispered. "She's going to hate him."

What if Ella never forgave Byron? What if Ella never forgave me for keeping that secret from her? What if she hated me for keeping that from her?

"If I tell her…" I began, my voice trembling as I spoke. "She might never forgive me for breaking her heart." I whispered.

"Aria, no. It's not your fault. It wouldn't be you who broke her heart. It's cruel that you were put in such a terrible situation. But it's Byron's responsibility to tell Ella. Not yours." Ezra reminded me.

"What if he never gets the chance to tell her because she-" I stopped abruptly; unable to bring myself to say the words as I felt the tears that were building up in my eyes fall down my cheeks.

"Aria," Ezra whispered brokenly, as he brushed away some of my tears. "Ella's not going to die. She's too strong to let this beat her. You know that. And you play a huge role in helping her make it through it all. Just reminding her that you love her will make her realize that she can't let the cancer win. That she can't stop fighting. She's not going to leave you. She's doing everything she can to get better for you, Aria."

More tears began forming in my eyes at Ezra's words.

His eyes eagerly searched mine, hoping to find understanding at his words.

I closed the gap between us as our lips met. We both moved closer to each other, wanting to be as close as possible. He cupped my cheeks in his hands as he kissed me deeply, as I wrapped my arms around his neck, bringing him closer to me.

I pulled away a few moments later, both of us breathless. I leaned my forehead against his.

"Ezra? Thank you. Honestly. For everything." I whispered.

**I thought it would be nice if I gave you a calmer chapter before the real drama comes. The next chapter will be long, intense, and right back to drama, drama, drama. **

**Hope you guys liked this, because it's the calmest chapter you're going to get for a while haha. **

**Please review! **


	12. Chapter 12

**This chapter was so difficult to write. Every time I worked on it, something just didn't seem right. I've been working on it for at least two weeks and for a long time I just couldn't get it to flow well. Anyways, it turned out pretty long. I wanted to cut it in half, but there wasn't a good place to stop the chapter. I'm sure you guys enjoy the longer chapters too. **

**A – I'm sorry I keep switching points of views. But there's certain situations that need to be told in Ezra's POV and other situations that need to be in Aria's POV. I know it gets confusing. The only way I can think of to change that would be to do one chapter in Aria's POV, then one chapter in Ezra's POV, but the only problem I have with that is that it would become really repetitive because if something happens in a chapter with Aria's POV, the next chapter in Ezra's POV would show all Ezra's thoughts and feelings on that situation, and it would just be like rereading the previous chapter. If that made any sense.**

**Thank you so much for your reviews: CocoLele, nightmares,and,dreamers, Notinyourlifetimehoney, Guest, msbookworm93, ilovemypony, ducygirrrrrrrll32, thecandygirl1, HarrylovesGinny09, Calypsana, Jojo Sky, SophieLovesPLL, A, CheyeM1287, hiding,my,heart, foreverdream7, iBreakTradition, dancer24, LauralovesPLL, WWKMDbracelets, literaturefrenzy23, Guest, and PrettyLittleFan! **

**Here's the chapter as promised – drama drama drama. Love it.**

* * *

><p><span>Aria's POV<span>

"We took this picture during Mike's first lacrosse game." I held up a picture for Ezra to see.

"Did they win?" He asked as he watched me pick out a background for the page.

"Yeah, they beat the other team by five points." I took the picture from him and glued down the background and the picture onto the page.

"Have you talked to Mike lately?" Ezra asked curiously as he began looking through some other pictures.

"I call him every now and then," I began. "But he never wants to talk. It's like, there's only one thing he can talk about with me, and he wants to avoid that topic at all costs."

Ezra nodded in understanding. "Probably because it'll just make this more real for him. Just like it did for you."

"At least I have you to talk to… Mike's going through all of this alone. He's not the kind of person to open up to people." I said softly, beginning to feel sorry for Mike. Ella and Byron weren't paying much attention to him anymore because they were dealing with a much bigger problem.

"But I'm scared that…" I set the picture down and looked up to meet Ezra's gaze.

"That what?" Ezra asked softly.

"That bottling this all up is going to create bigger problems for him later." I finished.

Ezra opened his mouth to speak but closed it, deciding not to say whatever was on his mind.

"What?" I asked, curious to what he was thinking.

"N-nothing." He said quickly. "What's this of?" He picked up another picture in an effort to distract me.

"No." I took the picture from his hands and placed it back on the ground. "Tell me." I moved closer to him so that I was practically sitting in his lap.

"Because of what you're saying, I think it would help if Mike was around you more." Ezra suggested.

He had a point. It would be more like how our family was before. This was such a big change for him, not being around his family for a long period of time. His mother was in the hospital and his sister was staying with an older man. This was nothing like the life he had been used to.

"Since we're already at my house, would it be okay if he stayed with us here for a few days?" I asked timidly, afraid of what Ezra's answer might be.

"If you'd like," Ezra shrugged. "I don't mind. It's your house."

"I'll call him tomorrow and see what he thinks." I confirmed.

* * *

><p>"They've changed the curriculum and it's more rigorous than before." Byron said to Ezra, as the three of us stood outside Ella's hospital room.<p>

"I try not to make it too difficult for the kids, but as a teacher, sometimes I just get too caught up in my love for English." Ezra chuckled.

As Ezra and Byron continued conversing about Hollis and work, I began getting bored of their conversation.

I walked into Ella's room but stopped abruptly as I caught a view of the inside. The room had been completely transformed since I had last visited Ella. Vases filled with colorful flowers were placed all around the room and piles of _Get Well Soon _cards sat on top of the table next to Ella's bed. A small journal was lying beside the cards.

"Aria, how are you sweetie?" Ella asked, diverting my attention away from her newly decorated room and back to her.

"I'm fine, how are you feeling?" I asked as I sat down beside her on the hospital bed.

"Just tired. Byron went out yesterday and bought me some books to read, so at least I have something to do." She joked.

"It's that bad?" I asked.

"Well Aria, try lying in a hospital bed all day. This remote," She picked up a remote on her bed and held it up for me to see. "It calls the nurses. So whenever I want to get up or go to the bathroom or anything, I have to call them so that they know. I just want to get out and do something, you know?" She said. "On my own, without having to tell everyone and have people watching me."

"They're taking care of you by watching over you." I reminded her.

"I know Aria." She gave me a small smile. "You know, I didn't tell anyone this yet…" She lowered her voice and motioned for me to come closer.

I scooted closer to her on her bed as she began speaking quietly. "But when I first found out I had cancer…" She paused for a moment. "I was so angry and I just didn't know what to do with myself anymore."

"Mom…" I whispered brokenly. Why was she telling me this? If she really needed to talk to someone about this, why was she telling me? Why wouldn't she tell Byron instead? I couldn't handle talking to her about this. If only she knew how much it truly hurt. But I couldn't tell her. I could never tell her how much this really was affecting me.

"I started painting again." She revealed, smiling at me. She showed me a few of the paint stains on her hands. "I can't tell you how amazing it feels, Aria. I don't understand why I ever stopped."

"That's great, mom." I said, but quickly realized how my comment sounded. "I-I meant how you began painting again. Not… you know." I quickly clarified.

"I know, sweetie." She smiled softly at me. She closed her eyes for a moment as a look of pain quickly appeared on her face. However, it went away as quickly as it had come.

I took her hand in mine, trying to comfort her.

All of a sudden, she grabbed my hand in a death grip.

"Ow!" I exclaimed. As I looked up to meet her eyes, I realized exactly why she hurt me.

Her breathing had become labored and her face was becoming paler by the minute.

"Mom? Are you okay?" I asked fearfully.

I watched Ella as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before her face scrunched up in pain as her body began to hurt once again. She grabbed the pillow beside her and hugged it to her stomach as tears began streaming down her cheeks. Her hair was stuck to her face in damp streaks and her breathing was too tight.

"Aria, tell Byron to come back in here and I want you to stay outside." Ella said, weakly and painfully.

"Mom," I whispered.

"Aria, go." Ella demanded.

I rushed out of the room as my eyes began welling up with tears. Ezra and Byron were nowhere to be found. I blinked them back, knowing I couldn't break down now. Ella needed me. I rounded the corner of the hallway and spotted Byron talking with Ezra as Byron bought something from the vending machine.

"Byron!" I called out as I quickly walked over to him. Ezra looked at me worriedly as he noted the frightened look on my face, however he remained silent while my father was standing beside him.

"Ella needs you." I said painfully. The look in my eyes was enough for him to understand that she was in pain.

He ran towards Ella's room without another word, leaving Ezra and I alone.

Was she going to be okay? What was happening to her?

I finally met Ezra's gaze with watering eyes. What was happening to my mom? Why couldn't she just get better? That's why she is in the hospital, right? So she can get better?

As soon as Ezra saw the tears forming in my eyes, he quickly wrapped his arms around me. He rubbed his hands up and down my back soothingly as the tears in my eyes finally spilled over. I cried into his chest, unable to keep my emotions hidden anymore.

Ezra held me in an embrace for a few moments as he comforted me, letting me cry into his chest. I lifted my head from his chest as he loosened his hold around me.

"Come here," Ezra whispered as he let his arms fall from around me before taking my hand and leading me to a row of chairs a few feet away.

I wiped away my tears as I marveled at how perfectly my smaller hand fit into Ezra's. He sat down and pulled me onto his lap as I buried my head against his collarbone, soaking his tshirt with my tears.

What was I supposed to do? What was happening to her? She had been perfectly fine when I first came into her room, but after a few moments, something happened and she made me leave the room. I know she did it so I wouldn't see her like that. She didn't want me seeing her so sick. I knew she was trying to protect me and not hurt me anymore. I was afraid of seeing her so sick too, but what did that make me? Was I a failure of a daughter? I couldn't be there for Ella the way she needed me to be because I was too busy worrying about myself. Since I didn't think I could handle it, I was afraid to be there for her. I was afraid to be with her alone in case anything happened, because I wouldn't know what to do to help her.

I looked up at Ezra with teary eyes. He was watching me sadly, obviously wishing he could take all my pain away. He reached up and wiped away a few tears from my tear stained cheeks.

"I don't know what's going to happen with her…" I whispered to him as I took his hand in mine and held it tightly in my own.

For a short moment, the look of sympathy in Ezra's eyes was replaced with guilt; however, he hid whatever he had been feeling as quickly as it had came.

* * *

><p><span>BYRON'S POV <span>

"Byron." Ella whispered as she continued crying from the pain. I wrapped my arms around her as she held onto me tightly, whimpering from the pain she was in. I rocked our bodies back and forth as we sat together on her bed. I held onto her tightly, assuring her that I was here for her and that it would all be okay.

I wanted to take all her pain away. My poor Ella, she didn't deserve to go through any of this. I wanted to tell her that I wouldn't let anything happen to her. I wanted to tell her that she was going to get better and that this was all going to be over. But those would just be empty words and promises. I couldn't guarantee anything to Ella. And she knew that.

A nurse came in a moment later with a strong painkiller. I handed Ella her glass of water as I watched her swallow the pill. I embraced her once again as I ran my hand up and down her arm comfortingly.

"It's all going to be okay. The pain is all going to go away." I said softly. A few moments later, she stopped shaking in pain as the painkiller began doing its job. I leaned us back against the bed, wanting her to lie down so she could try to sleep. She had to be exhausted from everything she was going through. She was being fed through an IV, meaning she wasn't as energetic as usual.

She rested her head on the pillow behind her as she closed her eyes. I continued stroking my fingers gently through her hair as she began to fall asleep. I noticed that her hair had become thinner and more delicate. When I was sure she had finally fallen asleep, I slowly slid out of the bed and left the room.

I walked out of Ella's room in distress. I didn't want to watch her go through any more pain. I didn't know if I could handle it.

Despite everything that had happened, everything I had done, I still loved her deeply. I hurt me so much seeing her in this pain. Ella was such a good woman, such an amazing mother, and a wonderful, loving, wife.

How could I have been so stupid as to cheat on her? It had been a moment of weakness. We were fighting. We hadn't talked in a week. And Merideth had been there; always ready to listen to why I was upset when I came to class distraught. She always knew the right words to say in order to make me feel better about whatever was going on at the time. I had been attracted to her. She was beautiful. There was no doubt about it. For so long, the only person I ever looked at had been Ella. Ella had been the most beautiful woman I had ever met. Then I saw Merideth. I hadn't expected to be attracted to her. I hadn't expected to want to know more about her, the moment I saw her sitting in my class. We began spending time together, and it quickly became something more.

Before I knew it, I was cheating on Ella, the biggest mistake of my life. And of course, Aria had to witness the act.

As I walked further down the hallway, I spotted Ezra sitting on a chair at the other end of the hallway. What was he still doing here? Why hadn't he left? I had assumed that when Ella made Aria leave the room, she had left. If Aria had left, that meant Ezra had to as well, since he was her ride. But then why was Ezra still here? And where was Aria?

He adjusted his body on the chair, exposing a petite girl sitting on his lap, crying into his shirt. Her long dark hair blocked her face from my view from where I was standing, but I knew exactly who she was. What the hell was Aria doing? Why was she sitting on Ezra's lap, of all places? There's a bunch of empty chairs next to him!

I watched Ezra as he leaned down and whispered something into Aria's ear as she lifted her head from his chest. He brushed his thumb across her cheek, probably wiping away her tears, before pushing her hair away from her eyes.

Their faces were dangerously close to each other. He better not think of making a move on my daughter. If he touches her in any way, I'll kill him.

What was going on between them? It seemed like they were acting as more than friends, but I wasn't completely sure. He could just be comforting Aria because she was crying. Or he could be letting her sit on his lap and cry because he's developing feelings for her.

I felt anger rising inside of me as I watched Ezra's fingers delicately trace Aria's cheek. She made no move to swat his hand away.

Aria grabbed his hand and laced his fingers with hers for a moment as they continued whispering to each other.

I watched Ezra as he pulled Aria's body closer to him on his lap as a new round of tears fell down her cheeks.

What did they think they were doing? I told him that he wasn't allowed to get too close to her! Friends, I could deal with. But anything more… and that man wasn't going to live to see another day. He was just going to use her and then throw her on the side when he found a new girl he wanted.

Aria shook her head at Ezra for a moment. He must have said something that she hadn't liked. I strained my ears, trying to hear anything they were saying, however, they were too far away. I watched the two of them in shock as Aria let go of Ezra's hand and put both of her hands on either side of his face. Tears were still falling from her eyes. I watched angrily as Aria scooted herself closer to him on his lap as she desperately tried to get him to understand something.

I didn't like this. They were too close. If Ezra moved just a few inches closer to Aria, he'd be kissing her. This was unacceptable. There was no way I was going to let him take advantage of my daughter.

Ezra was a good guy. I trusted him. He had never done anything to make me see him in a bad light, which is why I was comfortable letting Aria stay with him. However, the way he was acting is making it look like there's something going on between him and my daughter.

He better know his boundaries. I hope that Ezra Fitz knows how far he is allowed to get involved into my daughter's life.

I watched angrily as Ezra reached up to Aria's face and wiped away some of her tears again. Why was he touching her like that? Did he think that was okay?

She was sitting on his lap and they were dangerously close to each other. I had to stop this before something happened. Before they go too far.

I began walking towards them and cleared my throat, alerting them of my presence.

Aria and Ezra quickly moved away from each other. Aria almost fell off of Ezra's lap and straight to the ground because she moved too fast, however, Ezra's quickly caught her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her body back onto his.

"W-what's wrong?" Aria asked as she tried to make it look like she hadn't been crying. "What happened to mom?"

I sat down on a chair next to them and sighed. Ezra's arms were no longer around Aria's waist and she slowly began to get up from his lap.

I tried to ignore the anger building up in me as I tore my eyes away from where he had been holding her.

"She was just in pain. They gave her a painkiller and she's sleeping now." I told her.

Aria nodded slowly before getting up from Ezra's lap completely and standing up.

"She'll probably be asleep for a while so we should probably go." Aria said as Ezra got up from his chair as well.

"Bye Dad." Aria leaned down and gave me a hug before turning back to Ezra. She picked up her purse from the floor and swung it over her shoulder.

"Good-bye, Byron. Maybe we'll see you again tomorrow." Ezra stated.

I nodded before both Ezra and Aria turned away and began walking towards the doors to the Hospital.

I couldn't help but notice the way their hands brushed up against each other's slightly as they walked.

* * *

><p><span>Aria's POV<span>

When we got back to the house, I went up to my room to change into some sweats and a tank top. It was getting late and Byron quickly agreed when I suggested that we leave the hospital. I couldn't shake the feeling off of me that he seemed different. It was like he was suspicious of something. He had been looking at me as if he knew something or was trying to figure something out when I had been sitting on Ezra's lap. I knew it was a completely bad move; it would definitely raise suspicions about us. How could I have been so stupid? We had been practically touching in every way possible. My hands were in his, his hands were brushing my tears away, our arms were wrapped around each other's, and I was sitting in his lap!

I let out a groan as I realized our mistake. I was acting way more comfortable around him than I should be. It was going to raise suspicions, no doubt about it.

I threw my hair up into a ponytail before digging through my purse for my journal and a pen.

I sat down on my bed, resting my back against the wall as I began to write.

_Dear Momma, _

_I'm so sorry that I haven't been visiting you as often lately. I'm just too scared to go back. Every time I see you, something bad happens to you. I hate seeing you in so much pain. But what about you? How do you deal with this? Knowing you have cancer, not being with Mike and I as often as before, how are you making it through each day? Isn't it lonely all alone at the hospital? At least Byron's there for you now, when you need him the most… But you're going to push him away once you find out. Please mom, when you find out, don't push him away. Don't let him stop taking care of you. Don't let him leave you. Don't make him leave you. He doesn't deserve you, but I can't be there for you as much as you would need me to be if he leaves. I'm so sorry mom, I just can't. I can't handle seeing you hurting so much. If you knew how hard it was seeing you like this, you would understand. _

_I love you so much. _

_Always, _

_Aria_

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><p>"Ezra…" I groaned as I heard a stumbling coming from across the room, causing me to stir from my sleep. "What are you doing?" I asked tiredly, my eyes still closed.<p>

"Hmm?" I heard Ezra mumble, as I felt his arm tighten its hold around my waist.

My eyes immediately shot open as I realized that Ezra was lying right beside me. I quickly sat up in the bed, panic racing through my veins.

"Ezra!" I shook his arm, desperately trying to wake him up.

"What?" He groaned sleepily, finally opening his eyes.

"I think I heard something. Ezra-"

He cut me off, as he brought a finger to my lips, silencing me.

We remained quiet for a moment, listening for the noise again.

All of a sudden, we heard a ruckus coming from somewhere in the house close to my room.

Ezra quickly threw the comforter off of his body and jumped out of the bed. He ran from the room as I followed suit. I glanced at the clock, astounded that it read 3:17am.

What the hell was happening? Was someone breaking into my house?

I rushed into the hallway and saw Ezra emerging from my parent's bedroom.

"It's not coming from your parents room." He told me.  
>We both remained silent for a moment, listening for the noise again.<p>

I heard a groan coming from the bathroom, and shot a panicked glance at Ezra.

Ezra pushed me away from the closed bathroom door and approached it slowly, listening for more noises.

I heard a whimper coming from inside of the room.

"Ezra…" I whispered, completely afraid of whatever or whoever was in there.

Ezra slowly opened the door to the bathroom and gasped as he got a glimpse of the inside. I pushed past him, wanting to look inside to see whatever he was seeing.

I screamed when I saw who was in the bathroom.

Sitting on the tiled floor of the bathroom was my brother Mike, struggling to open the bottle of pills he was clutching in his hands. His shirt was clinging to his chest from the sweat that was covering his body and his face was scrunched up in rage and frustration.

"Mike!" I screamed as I fell to my knees onto the floor in front of him and tried to pry the bottle away from Mike's grasp. I tried to move his fingers away from the bottle so it would escape his hold on it, but it was no use. He was holding the bottle as if it were his life.

"Mike, stop!" I cried in a frightened voice as I tried to get him to stop fighting me.

"No!" Mike screamed, before using all of his strength to throw me off of him. I saw Ezra rush into the room right as I felt my head hit the edge of the bathtub. I felt Ezra's hands under my head, preventing me from hitting my head on the floor, before everything faded away into darkness.

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><p><strong>Told you there'd be drama! What's going to happen next with Mike? REVIEW PLEASE! <strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**I never thought I would say this, but I want Ezria to break up. Their scenes this week were pretty boring. If they break up, then they'll get a reunion kiss later on. They've had barely any good love scenes all season. Only the pilot had a sweet love scene. Like seriously? Give me some good Ezria scenes! **

**Also, I cannot believe that Emily and Nate kissed! I wanted it to happen a while ago because they've gotten really close, but I didn't think it would actually happen! **

**Thank you so much for your reviews: LucyyyPLL, Guest, Brandi, WWKMDbracelets, KatyForYou, HarrylovesGinny09, Prettylittlefan, pinkcrazyness, LucySpiller, teen at heart, LauralovesPLL, HaNpllfan, hiding,my,heart, Brennan'Ezria Lover, SophieLovesPLL, dancer24, literaturefrenzy23, and Calypsana!**

**Here's some more drama for you guys. **

* * *

><p><strong><span>Ezra's POV<span>**

I slowly opened up the bathroom door and gasped as I got a glimpse of the inside. I felt Aria push past me, trying to get a peek of the room. She screamed when she saw who was sitting on the tiled floor.

I watched Aria in fear as she ran into the room and tried to pry the pill bottle from Mike's grasp.

I froze on the spot, unsure of what to do. Before I could decide to do anything, Mike threw Aria off of him and she collided with the bathtub. I rushed into the room and caught her head in my hands before her head could hit the floor.

I looked up at Mike in terror as he watched his sister float in and out of consciousness with a fearful look on his face.

I saw the bottle of pills lying on the floor. My gaze locked with Mike's for a moment before we both lunged for the pill bottle.

He snatched it from the floor before I could but I grabbed his hands and tried to pull it from his grasp. Everything was happening so fast. Five minutes ago, Aria and I were asleep. Now, I was fighting with Mike to make sure he didn't try to kill himself.

How could he do this? Didn't he know how many people loved him? I barely knew Mike but from what Aria has told me about him, he would never do anything like this!

"Mike! You can't do this. Think of Aria. Aria needs you!" I yelled, trying to make him see reason as I continued struggling with him.

"She doesn't need me! She has you!" He cried out desperately.

I froze for a moment. Did Mike know about Aria and I? Was it that obvious that we had feelings for each other?

I snapped back into reality as Mike pulled the bottle from my grasp and began struggling to open it.

"Mike! Stop! Think of your mom, Mike! Think of Ella!" I pleaded with him.

Mike froze at the sound of Ella's name. At that moment, I realized that Ella was the reason Mike was doing this. All the agony and pain this family has been going through because of Ella must have been too much for him. He didn't know how to handle it.

"Think about how crushed she would be if you did this. How heartbroken you would leave her." I whispered to Mike, as his grasp on the bottle of pills loosened.

Behind his eyes, I could see the battle that was going on inside his head.

"Mike?" I heard Aria's voice softly ask.

I immediately turned to Aria, relief flowing through my veins that she had woken up.

"Aria." I whispered as I stuffed the bottle of pills into my pocket, hoping Mike was too busy watching Aria to have seen me.

"Ezra? Mike? What happened?" Aria looked up at the two of us questioningly as she sat up from the floor. She groaned and put a hand to her forehead.

I wanted to take her in my arms and make sure she was okay, but I knew that Mike's detrimental state was more important.

I took a deep breath as I turned away from Aria and back to Mike.

"Aria, go to your room." I said painfully.

"But-." She began, in a pleading voice.

"Aria!" I cried, mad at myself that I had to send her away when all I wanted was to have her near.

I watched Aria as she quickly ran from the room, clearly frightened of everything that was happening.

I turned back to Mike who somehow had found another bottle of pills from the medicine cabinet while Aria and I were taking.

"Mike!" I easily tore the bottle away from his hands and threw it across the bathroom.

I grabbed both his arms as I held him in place.

"Why are you doing this?" I whispered desperately to him.

"Why do you even care?" He yelled. "You don't even know me!"

"I know your family! And you're just as important as the rest of them!" I said, trying to make him understand.

"No! No I'm not! They don't give a shit about anything that happens to me! It's all about Aria! Oh, poor Aria, her best friend was killed, oh, poor Aria, how are you doing dealing with your mom's cancer? Oh, poor Aria, you've gone through such a hard damn life!" He ranted, breathing heavily. His chest rose and fell dramatically with each breath and his face was still scrunched up in anger. However, behind those hazel eyes, I could see a wave of sadness and hurt washing over him.

"Mike..." I whispered brokenly. "How could you say that? Of course they care about you! You're one of the most important people in their lives!"

Mike remained silent for a few moments, processing my words and deciding with himself whether or not they were true.

"Mike, your family loves you. More than you can possibly imagine. I'm sure that you're parents are hurting immensely right now. Ella probably feels like seeing you is only going to make you feel worse about her condition, Byron probably feels just as helpless because he's too busy making sure Ella is okay to check up on his kids." I said.

I watched Mike as his eyes began to well up with tears. He looked down to the floor, trying to avoid my gaze.

I felt so bad for him. He was going through all of this alone. He really felt like he had no one.

"I can't do anything for her. I haven't even gone to go see her because I'm scared to see her like that. Every time I ask Aria how Ella is doing, she never tells me how she looks, just what she feels or the latest news on what is happening to her." Mike told me with pain laced throughout his voice.

"Aria and I have been going to see her every day. Do you want to come with us tomorrow? That way, you won't be alone. And if it's too hard for you, we can leave. But Aria and I will be with you the whole time." I assured him.

He looked up at me questioningly for a moment, before nodding his head.

"Mike, if you ever need someone to talk to, both Aria and I are here for you. Please... Don't ever do anything like this again." I told him.

He gave me a small smile before he walked out of the bathroom. I walked over to the tub, where the bottle of pills I had thrown earlier had landed and cracked open. I picked up each pill before putting them back into the bottle. I went downstairs and threw the bottle away into the outside trash.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Aria's POV<span>**

I sat impatiently on my bed as I waited for Mike and Ezra to come out of the bathroom. Ezra had told me to leave the room, wanting to take care of whatever was happening with Mike without me.

I heard yelling coming from the bathroom before their voices became quiet again. I strained my ears to hear what they were saying but I couldn't hear anything. I put my head in my hands as I groaned in frustration.

Why would Mike try to do something like this? Was he really hurting that much? This was because of Ella, right? There was no other rational explanation for why he would try to kill himself.

I felt my eyes welling up with tears as I realized just how broken my family was. We were broken beyond repair. There was no way that my family would ever be the way we were before all of this happened again. We were just too broken. And there was nothing that could help fix all of our broken relationships.

I lifted my head from my hands to see Mike standing in the doorway of my room.

"Mike." I whispered.

"I'm sorry, Aria." He said quietly, taking a few steps into my room.

I jumped off my bed and flung my arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight embrace.

"Mike..." I began as I let him go from my embrace. "Don't ever scare me like that again! Why would you feel like you need to kill yourself?" I asked sadly.

He shrugged and remained silent as he looked down at the ground.

"Mike?" I asked fearfully in barely a whisper.

"Because of all of this. We're not a family anymore, Aria. Don't you see that?" He said harshly.

"Mike, yes we are. We'll always be a family. No matter what happens." I assured him.

"No, we won't Aria. Mom is in the hospital. You're living with one of dad's colleagues. I'm living with one of my friends. And I haven't seen mom or dad since the day we found out she has cancer. That's not how a family is supposed to be."

I couldn't find the words to say as I realized that Mike was right. Our family was broken beyond repair.

I sunk down to the floor and leaned my back against the edge of my bed.

Mike was right. Ella was too sick to take care of us the way she used to, Byron was a liar and a cheater, Mike and I were drifting apart, and I was harboring romantic feelings for my father's colleague.

I felt tears begin to form in my eyes as Mike sunk down to the floor beside me.

"Our family is never going to be the same again." I whispered brokenly to him. I looked up to meet his gaze. His hazel eyes had a sense of hurt and sadness hidden beneath them. However, hidden deep behind the hazel was a hint of determination.

"Aria..." Mike began softly. "You're right. We're going to be okay. We always make it through."

"Why are you saying that?" I looked up at him with glassy eyes. "A minute ago you were so convinced our family was screwed up." I told him, as I brushed away some of the stray tears that had fallen from my eyes.

"And a minute ago, you were telling me that we'll be okay. Come on, Aria. We're the Montgomery's. We can get through anything." Mike smiled softly.

I shook my head. That was so easy for him to say! He wasn't keeping everyone's secrets! He didn't know about Byron's infidelity! He wasn't falling in love with his father's colleague!

Was I really falling in love with Ezra? He was perfect. He was amazing. He was completely honest. He was everything I could possibly want in a guy and more. He was so caring and he always made sure I was okay.

"Where's Ezra?" I asked Mike, suddenly.

Mike glanced around the room for a moment before replying.

"Um, I don't know. I think he went downstairs." Mike said.

I jumped up and quickly ran from the room.

As I reached the bottom stair of the staircase, I heard Mike shout from upstairs.

"I'm going to bed!"

I didn't bother replying, as I kept looking for Ezra.

I quickly walked into the living room but it was empty.

I heard a noise coming from the kitchen and I sprinted into the room. Ezra was just about to walk out of the room, before he spotted me.

"Ari-" He started, but never got to finish. I jumped into his arms and kissed him eagerly. He was quick to kiss me back as I wrapped my arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around my waist as he pulled my body closer to his. I pushed my tongue into his mouth as I tangled my fingers in his hair. Our tongues met in a passionate battle for dominance as we held each other as close as possible. A few moments later, we broke apart, breathless.

"What was that for?" He asked softly.

"For everything." I whispered, smiling up at him.

* * *

><p>"So where were you the other night?" I asked Ezra as I stood over the stove making us eggs and bacon for breakfast.<p>

Ezra grabbed the salt from the table and handed it to me before replying. "What are you talking about?"

He sat down at the table and began reading the newspaper that he had brought in earlier.

I looked up at him, confusion written all over my face. "I woke up sometime the other night and you weren't there. It was the day before yesterday. Your phone was gone too. Where did you go?"

Ezra looked down nervously for a moment before meeting my gaze once again. "Oh. I… I went to the hospital."

I looked at him in confusion. Why would he go to the hospital in the middle of the night? To see Ella or Byron? Couldn't whatever he needed from them have waited until morning?

"For what?" I asked as I grabbed the toasted bread from the toaster and placed one slice on each plate.

"There was something I needed to do." He said curtly, not bothering to look up at me.

"In the middle of the night." I concluded as I set both plates of food down onto the table.

Ezra looked up from the paper and nodded before turning his attention away from me again.

Why was he acting like this? Why wouldn't he just tell me why he went?

"Why would you go without me?" I asked, sitting down across from him at the table.

"Because you were asleep." Ezra said quickly.

"So?" I asked in confusion. "You could've woken me up."

Ezra shook his head and turned away from me again.

"So what did you go there for?" I asked, beginning to get impatient because he was taking so long to tell me such a small piece of information.

"To talk to your dad." He finally revealed, as he set down the paper and looked up at me.

"For what?" I asked.

"Nothing. It's really not that big of a deal." He said.

What the hell was going on with him? Why was he being like this? Why wouldn't he just tell me? Why was he suddenly beginning to hide things from me? I thought we were being honest with each other. I guess I had been wrong.

"Why won't you just tell me?"

"It doesn't concern you."

"It's my family. It does concern me." I argued.

"Aria, just drop it."

"No! We have been honest with each other since the moment we met each other!" I cried. "Well, I have anyway." I scoffed in a disgusted voice.

"I've been honest with you too, and you know that."

"Maybe before, but now you're keeping secrets. In case you've forgotten Ezra, there's no secrets when people are being honest with each other." I pointed out.

"It's better if you don't know. Trust me." Ezra said with finality.

"Everyone's acting like I can't handle anything. Or like I'm going to break at any second! I'm so sick of being babied! I'm not a little kid anymore! I was forced to grow up when my best friend was murdered!" I cried at him. "I just want the truth."

Was that too much to ask? For the truth? To be told the whole truth? I wanted to know what was happening to Ella. I wanted to know what was happening with my family. It was my family. Not Ezra's. He had no right to be keeping things about my own family from me!

Ezra suddenly got up from the chair and was looking at me so forcefully that I took a step backward from his intense glare.

"You want the truth?" He snapped. "Your mother's been sick for months! She's already had one surgery because of her cancer but you had no idea about it!"

I looked at him in disbelief. Ella's been sick for months? She's known about her cancer for months? She's already had surgery for it? How could she keep this from me for so long? How could Ezra keep this from me?

I felt my eyes welling up with tears as I tried to process this new information. How long had Ezra known about this? Why was everyone keeping the most important pieces of information about Ella from me? Why couldn't I just get the truth?

Well now that I know the truth now, it might have just ruined everything.

"Why didn't you tell me this?" I whispered as I looked up at him with teary eyes.

"Because it was only going to hurt you." He said through gritted teeth.

In a way he was right. But he was still keeping secrets. Who knew what else he wasn't telling me. I couldn't handle all the lies anymore. I couldn't handle everyone acting like I was going to fall apart at any moment. I couldn't handle keeping everyone's secrets, when everyone was lying to me. I just couldn't handle it anymore. Any of it.

My eyes began filling up with tears but I knew I had to hold them back. I couldn't cry.

I looked up at Ezra. "You lied to me." I whispered. "You promised me that you would tell me everything my parents told me about Ella. And you kept _ this _ from me?" I whispered menacingly.

"Aria-" Ezra began.

"Stop. Just leave." I shook my head, looking at him in disgust. "Now."

"Aria-" Ezra tried again.

"Leave!" I yelled at him, not caring if Mike had woken up from our screaming.

"Aria, just-" Ezra cried, as he tried to get me to let him explain.

I took one step closer to him and pointed to the door. "I swear to God if you're not out of this house in five seconds-"

I stopped abruptly as I heard Mike walk into the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Mike yawned.

Ezra glanced at Mike before turning back to me.

When Ezra saw the look of anger on my face, he took a step backward and headed for the door.

I watched him angrily as he grabbed his cell phone from the table beside the door and left the house.

My eyes began welling up with tears as I realized what I'd done. I'd kicked Ezra out of my own house. I ruined everything.

But he lied to me! He kept this from me for who knows how long!

The tears in my eyes spilled over as I thought of Ella. She was so sick. How long has she had cancer? Why would she lie to me about it? How could my family and Ezra do this to me? They were all liars! All of them! Did anyone actually care about me? Or was it all just fake? Did Ezra actually feel the same way towards me as I did him? Or was he just pretending? Was he planning to one day just break my heart and laugh at me because I was a fool for feeling this way towards him?

I collapsed to the floor as the tears took over my body.

Mike was right. Our family is more screwed up than anyone thought it could be. They were all just liars who only cared about protecting themselves.

I wanted this all to be over. I needed this all to be over. I couldn't handle anymore of this pain.

Everyone was hurting me.

But Ezra's lies hurt the most. We had been completely honest and open with each other! I had told him all about Ali and Byron's infidelity! I trusted him! How could he keep something like this from me? It wasn't even his secret to keep!

"Aria?" I heard a voice softly ask.

I lifted my head from my hands and looked up to see Mike crouched down beside me.

"What happened?" He asked.

I shook my head as more tears spilled down my cheeks.

Mike wouldn't understand. He wouldn't understand that I just hurt someone who had become one of the most important people in my life. He wouldn't understand that I didn't just hurt Ezra by what I'd just done. He wouldn't understand that I was falling in love with Ezra and that I was ruining everything.

None of this would have happened if Ezra and I hadn't had feelings for each other. He wouldn't lie to me about any of this because he wouldn't be scared to hurt me. He just wouldn't care.

I ignored Mike as I pushed myself up from the ground and went upstairs. I collapsed onto my bed as I cried into my pillow.

I love him. And now he's gone. All because of me.

I wiped away some of my tears as I grabbed my notebook from my side table. Opening it up, I began doing the only thing I could do to release my emotions: write. My tears fell onto the page, staining the words, but I didn't care.

Was Ezra going to come back? Now he really did think of me as a child. I kicked him out of my house because he lied to me. How could I have done this?

I began crying harder as I realized just how much Ezra had been helping me though all of this. If he had been here, he would be holding me in his arms as I rested my head into the crook of his neck, inhaling the amazing smell of his cologne. He would be stroking his fingers softly through my hair as I cried into his body. His soothing voice would be assuring me that everything was going to be okay. He would assure me that he wouldn't let anything hurt me.

But I hurt myself because I was too stubborn. Because I couldn't handle anymore of the lies. Because I just wanted it all to be over.

_Ella, _

_I can't believe what he's done. But I can't believe what everyone else is doing either! Ezra told me how long you've really had cancer. How could you keep something like this from me? Why wouldn't you tell me? When you first told Mike how long you've known you had cancer, you told us that you've only known for about a week! Why would you lie to me mom? _

_It hurts. Everything happening to this family is because of all the lies. Everyone is lying to each other. Ezra and I are lying to you guys. Mike is lying to me. Byron's lying to you and Mike. And you've been lying to me. _

_Please mom, don't you trust me? Don't you care about me at all? Why won't you just tell me how sick you are? Don't you realize it will hurt less if you tell me first, instead of me figuring it out later from someone else? From Ezra? _

_I'm sorry that I'm lying to you. But I'm lying to you to make sure you don't get hurt. You have no good reason to be lying to me about your cancer. Because it's only going to get worse! Don't you see that? You haven't gotten any better since being diagnosed! Only worse! You're not going to get better mom. I need you to be honest with me. I can't handle any more of these lies. _

_Please mom. I love you. It hurts so much to watch you going through all of this, but it hurts more to know that everything you're telling me is a lie. _

_I can't do this anymore. I just can't. _

_I love you, but I wish you would be honest with me. Is that so much to ask for? _

_Aria_

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><p><strong>Please review! <strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**I know this is late, but last Tuesday was completely insane! Nate is a psycho freak! I don't think Toby is A, I think he's faking being part of the A team to protect Spencer. And EZRA STILL DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT HIS CHILD! I'm so angry that Maggie didn't tell him! Things are just going to blow up in January when Ezra finds out that Aria knows about Malcolm and that she didn't tell him – they're gonna break up and it's going to be so sad, but then they'll have a big amazing reunion scene. January is so far away…**

**Sorry this took so long, I just haven't really been in the mood to write… Hopefully inspiration will come back soon but school's started so I'll have even less time to write.**

**Thanks for all of your reviews! Larua, Guest x6, Heather, ae1st19, girlontherun247, WWKMDbracelets, LucyyyPll, nightmares,and,dreamers, HarrylovesGinny09, LucySpiller, Guest, dancer24, hiding,my,heart, HaNpllfan, joy, Brennan'Ezria Lover, Calypsana, and Notinyourlifetimehoney!**

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><p><span>Ezra's POV<span>

I raised my glass of scotch to my lips as I took another sip of the amber liquid, wincing slightly as it burned my throat. I stared out the balcony window of my apartment, looking out over the city but not really seeing anything. Everything was falling apart, and I didn't know if I was ever going to see Aria again.

What was this between us? I had never felt such a strong connection to anyone I had ever been with.

I wasn't supposed to let any of this happen. How was I falling in love with a teenage girl? How was I falling in love with Byron Montgomery's daughter? I just couldn't help it. I can't help falling in love with her.

She's so amazing. She's everything I could ever ask for in a woman and more.

Love was such a cruel thing. This was all my fault. I wasn't supposed to let myself fall in love with Aria. I should have stopped all of this before it started. The first time we kissed, I should have given Byron the real reason why I didn't want Aria staying with me anymore. He would have made me stay away from her, and I never would have grown this close to her.

I just want her. I want to be able to hold her in my arms again. I want to be able to take her pain away. I want to hold her body against mine at night as we fell asleep together.

I just want to be with her again.

I took another sip of my scotch. There was absolutely nothing I could do at this point. She hated me for lying to her. I destroyed what we had because I kept that secret about Ella from her. It was my fault. I really had ruined everything.

* * *

><p><span>Aria's POV<span>

I rolled over and reached over to the other side of the bed as I woke up, feeling for Ezra's body. As my fingers hit the cool satin sheets, my eyes shot open as memories of the night before flooded through my mind.

He left. He wasn't going to be here anymore. I wouldn't get to have his strong arms wrapped around me anymore. I wasn't going to be able to be held in his embrace. I wasn't going to be able to smell his cologne as I cried into his shirt. I wasn't going to be able to feel his hands in mine anymore. I wasn't going to be able to curl my body into his late at night. I wasn't going to be able to fall asleep in his arms.

I had been so stupid. I had been so foolish. How could I have thought that I could get through all of this without him? He was the only one who was keeping me together!

We had gotten so close. We had built such a strong trust between each other. It had broken my heart to watch him walk away. He left me. But I made him.

How could we have a relationship with each other if he was lying to me? He made a promise to me. He promised to tell me everything that Byron told him about Ella. But if I was being honest with myself, it was true that I have never felt this way towards anyone before. I've never wanted someone to always be in the same room as me. I've never wanted to be held in only one person's arms. I've never wanted to make someone know just how much I'm falling for him. I've never loved someone like this. I never should have let him go. When he walked out that door, I felt a part of me leave with him.

I felt fresh hot tears falling down my cheeks but I brushed them away. It was too late. I realized just how much I loved him and just how much I needed him too late. I really had ruined everything.

Did Ezra love me? Was this as real for him as it was for me? Did our relationship mean anything to him? If this was real, if we belonged together, then he would come back, right? He would come back to me. But what if he didn't? What if this meant nothing to him? What if I was just an insignificant foolish teenager? What if he was only caring for me as much as he had because he didn't want to disappoint Byron?

That couldn't be true. He had been way too compassionate and sweet to be faking it all.

I wiped away my tears as I sat up in bed.

There had to be a way I could get him to come back. I can't get through any of this without him by my side.

* * *

><p>I walked into Ella's room with Mike following closely behind me.<p>

"Aria?" Ella asked, as soon as she saw me. "What are you doing here? You didn't say you were coming today."

I glanced at Mike for a moment before turning back to Ella.

"I need to talk to you." I began. I turned to Mike hesitantly. "Could you… go outside for a minute?"

Mike looked at me in confusion for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and leaving the room.

"What's Mike doing here?" Ella asked, surprised.

I walked over to the foot of her hospital bed as she watched me, confusion written all over her face. I refrained from answering her question, not wanting to lead of the topic of the conversation we were about to have a different way.

"Aria, honey, what's wrong?" Ella asked.

I placed each of my hands on the edge of her hospital bed, before finally looking up to meet her eyes. I remained quiet as I tried to come up with a way to phrase my question that wouldn't make the conversation we were about to have turn into a fight.

"Why did you lie to me?" I finally whispered painfully.

"Aria, what are you talking about?" Ella asked, confusion laced throughout her voice.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." I responded bitterly.

Ella shook her head in confusion.

"You lied to me about how sick you really are." I whispered painfully.

Ella's face drained of the little color that was left. She remained silent at my words neither confirming nor refuting my discovery.

"Mom." I whispered, my voice full of hurt. "Why would you lie to me about this?"

Ella's expression hardened for a moment before she replied. "Because you didn't need to know! What was it going to do for you, Aria? It was only going to hurt you. I lied to you to protect you." She said angrily.

What was with this family and lies? Everything that went on between us was because of a lie in one form or another!

"Yeah, well, the truth always has a way of being revealed." I laughed humorlessly.

"Aria, you don't under-" Ella began, but I quickly cut her off.

"No mom. Don't tell me I don't understand. I'm not ten years old. No wonder this family is so screwed up. All of our relationships with each other are built on lies! Everyone in this family is a liar or a che-" I stopped abruptly. My eyes widened as I realized what I had almost let slip.

"A liar or a what, Aria?" Ella asked, looking at me, daring me to finish my sentence.

I knew I couldn't tell her. He had to be the one to tell her.

"Nothing." I lied. "I have to go."

I readjusted my purse on my shoulder and quickly left the room before Ella could say another word.

I spotted Mike standing a few feet near the end of the hallway. He was pacing back and forth; probably waiting until I told him he could go in and see Ella.

"Mike, come on, let's go." I called from the other end of the hallway.

"Can I go in and see mom now?" Mike asked hopefully.

I shook my head. "There's no point. She's just going to lie to you."

I walked out of the hospital wordlessly as Mike followed behind me. We got inside the car; however, I refrained from turning it on, not knowing where I wanted to go.

My friends were probably all busy, and Ezra was mad at me. I knew I needed to forgive him, but I just was afraid of him hurting me again.

Why was everyone lying to me? Ezra, Byron, and Ella?

I missed him so much. His smile, his touch, his kiss, his voice. I missed everything about him. From the way his eyes lit up as he talked about something he loved, to the pain in his eyes when he watched me cry into his chest.

"So... Are we going to leave?" Mike asked.

Suddenly, I knew exactly where I needed to go.

* * *

><p>I stood hesitantly in front of apartment 3B twenty minutes later. I knew what I needed to do; but I couldn't bring myself to do it. What if he didn't forgive me? What if he didn't care about me anymore? What if I meant nothing to him? Maybe he was relieved to finally be done taking care of me. I shook my head. That couldn't be true. He wouldn't have kissed me back that night in my room if he had no feelings for me. He wouldn't be comforting me about Ella if he didn't care.<p>

I slowly raised my hand up to the door before knocking.

Ezra opened the door a moment later. He looked stressed and there was a far away look in his eyes. His button down shirt was slightly wrinkled and un-tucked from his dress pants. His five o' clock shadow was beginning to form. He looked completely exhausted.

"I'm so sorry." I whispered, looking up at him nervously.

"Aria..." Ezra said softly.

"No, I was acting like a child. You were trying to protect me by keeping that secret, and it wasn't even your secret to keep. I'm sorry I yelled at you." I whispered sadly.

Ezra remained silent for a moment and I feared that he wasn't going to forgive me.

Instead, he took a step closer to me and enveloped me in his arms. I rested my head against his chest as he wrapped his arms around me.

I couldn't put into words how incredible it felt to be wrapped in Ezra's arms once again. Just in the course of a little over 24 hours, I had missed this feeling. I had missed the feeling of being held in Ezra's embrace. I missed the feeling of everything being okay, if only for a few moments. I missed him. Everything about him.

"I didn't want to lie to you, Aria." Ezra whispered into my hair. "I just didn't want to see you get hurt."

I tilted my head up slightly as I lifted my head from his chest. "I understand." I said softly, before leaning up to kiss him. The kiss was soft, short, and sweet, but it was everything I had needed in that moment.

I pulled away a moment later and rested my forehead against his. His blue eyes were shining brightly, however, I knew that mine only portrayed hurt and fear.

"What's wrong?" He asked softly.

"I... I feel like no one really cares about me." I said, as tears began building up in my eyes. "Byron is so focused on Ella that he hasn't even asked me how I'm doing with all of this." I whispered, as my tears finally spilled over, down my rosy cheeks. "That's what happened with Mike yesterday... He just felt like no one cared." I said, looking down as I avoided his eyes.

Ezra brushed his thumb across my cheek lightly, wiping away my tears. "Hey, I care. I care more than you can imagine."

"I know." I whispered. "That's why this is so hard."

Ezra looked at me with confusion in his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

I let out a shaky breath as I tried to stop my tears from falling again. "Ezra, what's going to happen with us when my family goes back to normal? You're just going to be my father's colleague again. How can we still be together when you're taken out of my life as easily as you were put into it?" I asked him desperately.

His eyes had a sense of determination in his eyes. I realized that this was one of the many things I had grown to love about Ezra: his sense of passion and never giving up on the things that mattered most to him.

"We'll find a way to make it work." He assured me. "We'll be okay."

"Please." I begged. "Please don't leave me again." I whispered brokenly, desperately searching his eyes for whatever he was feeling.

"I won't." Ezra said seriously. "I promise."

* * *

><p><em> I walked through the doors of the church and gasped at the sight that greeted me. The church was filled with sobbing people. My family, friends, classmates, and teachers were scattered throughout the pews. What was going on? Whose funeral was this?<em>

_As I walked through the isle, I noticed Byron and Mike sitting in the front of the room. Both Byron and Mike had tears streaming down their faces. It was the first time I has ever seen either of them cry._

_As I stepped into their pew, they continued crying, not bothering to look at me._

_"Dad what happened?" I asked. _

_He remained silent, not even looking over towards me. _

_"Whose funeral is this?" I asked desperately as I realized just how sad and broken my family looked… All of my family except Ella. Where was Ella?_

_"Dad? Mike?" I asked again, but they both ignored me. I realized that they weren't going to acknowledge me anytime soon. I stepped out of the pew and began walking towards the open casket that was sitting at the front of the church._

_I couldn't remember the car ride here. I couldn't remember who's death I was supposed to be crying about. I couldn't remember anything before the moment I walked into the church. _

_I still didn't know whose funeral this was. It must be someone fairly popular because almost all of Rosewood was packed into the church. I could see my best friends, Hanna, Spencer, and Emily, sitting near the front row, each of them crying silently. All of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents were sitting together near the front of the Church. As I looked around the pews, I realized that there were people here that I didn't even know. _

_As I approached the casket sitting at the front of the Church, I leaned over to look inside, anxious to see whose funeral this was._

_Lying in the casket without a beating heart and as pale as a ghost was Ella Montgomery._

* * *

><p>I woke up abruptly, my screams echoing throughout the quiet house. My body was shaking violently and tears were falling quickly from my eyes.<p>

It had felt so real. All of it. Being in the church, seeing her face…

I cried harder as I remembered the image I had created in my head.

I jumped as I heard my bedroom door open quickly, as Ezra burst into the room.

I cried harder at the sight of him. I had woken him up in the middle of the night because of my nightmare. He quickly climbed onto my bed and wrapped his arms around me.

"Shh…" He whispered soothingly. "It's going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay."

I held onto his body tightly as I continued crying, unable to stop my body from shaking. My fingers clutched at his shirt, not letting him go, as I pulled him closer to me.

Ezra ran his fingers through my hair as I buried my head against his chest, my tears soaking his t-shirt. My body shook uncontrollably against his as I tried to get the images from my dream out of my head.

Was it a sign? Was Ella okay? What was happening to her now?

"Aria, what happened?" Ezra asked sadly.

I shook my head as I tried not to think about my nightmare. But his question made all the images flow back into my mind.

"Ella…" I whispered, as more tears escaped my eyes.

Ezra pulled my body closer against him as he kissed the top of my head. He rubbed soothing circles against my back, as I tried to stop my tears from falling.

"It felt so real…" I sniffled, as he continued comforting me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my phone sitting on the edge of my bed.

I pushed Ezra's arms off of me as I reached over to the other side of my bed for my cell phone.

"Aria, what are you doing?" Ezra asked anxiously.

My fingers shook against the keypad as I dialed Byron's cell phone number.

"Aria, stop-" Ezra began as he quickly grabbed the phone from my hands and threw it somewhere behind him on the bed.

"No! I-I need to- I need to call her!" I said, looking up at him brokenly, with teary eyes. I reached my hands out, waiting for him to give the phone back to me.

"Aria! It was just a dream! Ella's fine! She's alive!" Ezra took my hands in his, trying to get me to understand.

I shook my head, not believing him. I had to check. I had to talk to her. I just needed to know if she was okay.

"Aria, it's three in the morning, you can't call her!" Ezra pleaded with me.

"Please." I begged, as more tears began building up in my eyes. "I just need to hear her voice. I need to make sure she's okay." I whispered.

Ezra looked at me warily for a moment before reaching behind him and handing me my cell phone.

My fingers shook as I pressed the buttons to call Byron's cell phone. I bit my lip in nervousness as I waited for him to answer.

"Hello?" I heard a voice ask tiredly on the other line.

"Dad? Where's Mom?" I asked fearfully.

"What are you talking about, Aria?" Byron asked worriedly. "She's right in front of me, sleeping." He told me.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the wall behind my bed.

"So everything's okay?" I asked.

"Of course. Nothing's changed over here." Byron said. "Is everything okay? Why are you calling me at three in the morning?"

"I-I just had a bad dream so I was scared something might have happened to her…" I whispered.

"She's fine, Aria." Byron assured me. "None of it was real honey, go back to sleep."

"I'm sorry for waking you up." I said softly.

"It's okay, Aria. Maybe we'll see you later tonight."

"Bye, Dad." I sighed before he hung up the phone. I slowly lifted the phone from my ear, letting it fall onto the bed as I did so.

I looked up at Ezra, allowing myself to meet his eyes, but not knowing what to say.

What was I going to do if this all ended badly? What if Ella wasn't supposed to get better? What if this was it? What if this really was the end of her life?

The tears that were building in my eyes quickly fell, as I crawled over to Ezra and sat down on his lap. He let my tears soak his t-shirt as I cried into his chest. His fingers were running through my hair as he held my body tightly against him.

I lifted my head from his chest to see a heartbroken look in his eyes. His thumb gently stroked my cheek, wiping away my stray tears. I quickly closed the small gap between us, our lips meeting in a fierce kiss. Our lips moved slow and hard against each other's as he tangled his fingers in my hair. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling his body closer to mine as he slipped his tongue into my mouth. Our tongues softly massaged each other's as he moved his arm down to my waist, holding my body securely against mine. I kissed him harder, letting all the passion I felt for him into the kiss.

He needed to know how I felt. He needed to know how strong my feelings were for him.

Ezra cupped my face in his hands, deepening the kiss.

He had to know. After everything we've been through together, how did he not know? He had to know how real this was for me. How much he meant to me. I only hoped that this was as real for him as it was for me.

I kissed his soft lips one last time, before pulling away. We rested our foreheads against each other as we held each other, not willing to let the other go.

His eyes displayed pure love. A man had never looked at me that way before. I couldn't help but realize how amazing it felt. To love him just as much as he loved me.

"I love you, Aria." He whispered to me.

My eyes lit up at his words before I pressed my lips against his in a gently kiss.

"I love you, too, Ezra." I whispered against his lips.

He pulled my body closer to his as the love we felt towards each other took over.

I knew everything would be okay. Ella was going to be okay as long as I believed that she would get better. Wrapped in Ezra's arms, I knew that I was exactly where I needed to be.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you guys enjoyed this emotional roller coaster of Aria's emotions! Also, let me know in the reviews if you want a normal chapter next or the chapter from Ella's POV! If I get 35 or more reviews, I'll update before next weekend!<strong>


	15. Chapter 15

**I'm so sorry that this took so long, but this is a really important part of the story. This is half of the chapter from Ella's POV, because the entire thing is 9,000 words long. I wanted to make this the best that I could and I wanted to put the Ella chapter here because Ezria ended so nicely last chapter. I wanted what happens to be in Ella's POV because it affects her the most. Something really big happens while the story is in Ella's POV. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>The moment I had first heard the words fall from my doctor's mouth, my mind went blank. Everything froze. It was like nothing was real anymore.<p>

I felt numb. Empty. As if my entire life was meaningless.

No. This can't be true. He can't be right. There must be some kind of mistake.

I looked up at him blankly. Did he really mean this? Was this some kind of a joke? Was he trying to tell me that I had cancer so that the real news wouldn't hurt as badly?

"I'm so sorry, Ella." He said sympathetically.

My breathing came out shaky with each breath. I tried my hardest to hold back the tears that were forming in my eyes. I finally gathered the strength to look up at him.

"How long do I have left?" I whispered.

"Probably a few years. But cancer doesn't end the life of everyone, Ella. You can put it into remission." He said.

"What do we do now?" I asked, looking up at him with determination in my eyes. "Procedures? Treatments? Eating habits?"

"Ella..." He said softly. "You don't have to be strong. I understand that this is a lot to take in. Don't hide behind a mask. It would only make this whole process harder."

"No. I need to get better and we need to do everything we can to make this go away. I have a family to take care of, a class to teach, and Byron's expecting dinner tonight."

"Ella-" He began, but I interrupted him.

"No. Please?" I asked desperately. "Can you promise me you'll do everything you can to make this go away? Please." I begged.

He looked at me with sympathy in his eyes before that sympathy slowly began to turn into determination. "I will. I promise."

"Thank you." I whispered.

* * *

><p>I slowly walked into the house, letting my purse fall from my grip and onto the hardwood floor. I walked over to the kitchen and sank down into a chair near the table, trying to process everything that was going on around me.<p>

How much time do I have left?

There's still so much I want to do with my life! When the kids graduated from high school, Byron and I wanted to take a trip around Europe together.

Was I going to see Aria and Mike grow up? Was I going to watch my children get their diploma's or get married and have their first child? What was going to happen to my family?

How was I going to tell Byron?

Byron. He was going to be completely devastated. How was he going to handle this information? What was going to happen?

Why was this happening to me? Why couldn't the doctor have seen symptoms before to stop the disease? What did I do to deserve this?

Maybe it's my fault. Maybe I brought this onto myself. If only I had taken care of myself better, maybe this wouldn't be happening to me.

But I did take care of myself! I exercised every day, I made sure I always ate healthy meals, and I tried my best to avoid stress! So what could have caused this?

How could this have happened to me?

Was I going to get so sick that I wouldn't be able to do anything for myself anymore? Was I going to be lying on my deathbed soon?

I can't leave my family like this; I can't hurt them with this! Why is this happening to me?

What's going to happen to me? What had I done to deserve this at my age? I can't handle this now! I have a family to take care of! I have a job and students who need me to teach them!

"Mom?" I heard Mike's ask.

I lifted my head from my hands and looked up to see Mike looking at me sympathetically. I quickly wiped my tears away with my fingertips before he could realize I had been crying.

"What happened?" He asked painfully.

It must have been unbearably hard for him. He had never seen me cry before.

"Nothing, sweetie." I said, as I got up from the chair. The two of us remained silent as I walked over to the refrigerator and began searching it for something to make for dinner.

He was still standing there. He hadn't said a word.

What was going to happen to Mike when he found out I had cancer? What if I didn't make it through this? Mike would be left without a mother. Without someone to care for and love him. I couldn't do that to him. He needed me. And I needed him.

"Mike." I whispered as I turned around to face him.

I took a few steps closer to him, trying to keep myself from bursting into tears again. "I love you. So much. Don't ever forget that." I whispered to him, desperate for him to understand the deeper meaning behind my words.

"I love you too, mom." He replied slowly, in a confused voice.

I blinked back the tears that were forming in my eyes, as my teenage son stood in front of me, happy and healthy. I knew that once he found out about me, all of that would go away. If I knew Mike the way I did, I knew that as soon as he heard the news, he would be broken. The happiness would be sucked out of him. He would be lost. And it would be all my fault.

I wrapped my arms tightly around him and embraced him lovingly. He hugged me back, and I reveled in the feelings that filled me as I held my son in my arms again. I kissed the top of his head, before whispering into his hair.

"I love you, Mike."

* * *

><p>"Aria, sweetie, how was school today?" I asked Aria as she walked into the house.<p>

She tossed her keys onto the kitchen counter and sighed dramatically.

"Noel Khan asked me out again." She revealed.

Despite what I had just found out about myself, I couldn't help but smile. Aria had liked Noel during middle school but got over him when she realized he wasn't what she wanted in a guy. Apparently now, he was pining after her.

"What did you say?" I asked, with a small smirk on my face.

"That I wasn't interested." She said, as she walked over to the refrigerator looking for something to eat. "He's just… weird." She said, as she grabbed a carrot from the fridge and began munching on it.

I couldn't help but chuckle. Noel had been trying to get Aria to go out with him for weeks.

"Well," Aria began, picking her purse back up again. "I have to go do homework."

I watched Aria silently as she smiled at me before heading upstairs to her room.

Mike had seen me crying. But to Aria, everything in my life was normal. Good, even.

If only she knew what was actually going on.

I was pulled out of my thoughts as I heard the front door open once again. My eyes began welling up with tears as Byron entered the house. He dropped his briefcase near the door and slid off his shoes.

What was going to happen to my family? How were they going to cope with this information? What will they think of me? They'll be depending on me to be strong. To beat this. But what if I can't? What will happen if this cancer takes over my life? If it takes my life?

"Hey, honey, how was your doctor's appointment?" Byron asked, as he walked into the kitchen. I watched him silently as he emptied his coffee cup into the sink and put it into the dishwasher.

"Ella?" He asked a few moments later when I hadn't replied.

I looked up at him sadly, not knowing what to say. I couldn't tell him. I couldn't.

"What's wrong?" He asked, beginning to get worried.

"Nothing." I shook my head as I tried to steady my shaking breath. "It was the fine. He didn't tell me anything special." I lied.

I faked a small smile to assure him that everything was okay.

"That's good. Hey, I'm gonna go take Mike to lacrosse while you make dinner." Byron said, before kissing the crown of my head and disappearing from the kitchen.

I rested my back against the countertop. Each person in this family was happy today. But once they found out about me, their happiness would be ruined. All because of me.

* * *

><p>I lay in bed for hours later that night, still unable to fall asleep. I looked over to Byron sleeping peacefully beside me. How could I tell him? I couldn't. It would break his heart. I loved him so much, but I knew that telling him would shatter him.<p>

He's always been there for me. He understands me better than I understand myself.

This couldn't be true. This couldn't be happening to me. It just didn't feel real. It felt like a nightmare. I can't have cancer, especially not at this time in my life.

What did I do to deserve this? What did I do to make this happen to me? I can't do this. I'm not strong enough for any of this.

I'm so scared. Anything could happen to me. My life could end because of this disease… And there would be nothing I could do to stop it. I have no control over my life anymore. My fate is no longer in my hands.

I couldn't do this to Byron. I couldn't break his heart like this.

I love him so much, but was that enough? I didn't want to hurt him with this.

My whole family was going to be ruined. Telling them will make all the happiness in them disappear.

How much longer was I going to be alive? How much longer was I going to be married to him? How much longer until my family will be sitting in the pews of the Church during my funeral?

Tears began falling quickly down my cheeks as the worst possible thoughts entered my head.

I couldn't do this anymore. I had to get a grip on myself.

I wiped away my tears as I got up from the bed. I walked over to our bedroom window and sat down on the chair next to it.

Why didn't my doctor detect this sooner? Why did it take so long to find out I had cancer? It couldn't be that hard to detect!

They could have saved me. They could have done something about it. They could have stopped it.

Now it was going to take over my life and ruin everything. I wasn't going to be able to work anymore, I wasn't going to be able to take care of my family anymore, I wasn't going to be able to have the life I had before.

What was my life going to turn into? Stressing about doctors appointments? Treatment appointments? What was going to happen to my classes? There wouldn't be anyone to teach them! My students were depending on me! Was I going to lose my job? Clearly, I was going to spend the next few months in treatment, trying to destroy the cancer. There was no way I was going to be able to go to my classes during cancer treatment! What was going to happen to me?

I grasped my long hair tightly in my hand as I realized that in a month or two's time, I might not have any more of it. It might all have fallen out.

I began crying harder at this thought. I was going to look completely different, I was going to be too sick to do anything.

"Ella?" I heard Byron ask sleepily.

I turned around to see him standing beside me. As soon as he saw the tears on my face, his expression of exhaustion turned to worry.

"Honey, what's wrong?" He asked, as he sat down beside me. He pulled me closer to him as I continued crying into his collarbone.

I knew I was supposed to be strong, but I just couldn't keep up that charade anymore.

"I'm going to ruin our family." I whispered brokenly.

"What are you talking about?" Byron asked.

I shook my head as more tears fell down my cheeks. It was true. I really was going to ruin our family.

I had to tell him. But he was going to be ruined.

"Byron..." I cried.

"Honey, you have to tell me what happened so I can fix it." Byron begged.

I buried my head into his chest, soaking his t-shirt with my tears. He stroked his fingers gently through my hair, in a comforting manner.

"I can't tell you." I whispered.

"Why not?" He asked worriedly.

I lifted my head from his chest and looked at my husband. His eyes were filled with genuine worry and distress.

I let out a shaky breath as I wiped my tears away with my fingertips.

"I have cancer." I whispered, as a loud sob escaped my lips.

Byron's face was pure shock for a few moments before a wave of sadness washed over him.

I knew that in that moment, his heart was slowly shattering. The look in his eyes was pure heartbreak.

He hugged me tighter against him and kissed the top of my head.

"We're going to fight this together, Ella. You're not alone."

I whimpered as more tears fell down my cheeks.

Of course he would say that. He would take this burden onto himself as well. I didn't want to hurt him though. I didn't want to ruin his life.

"You're going to get better. We'll make this go away." He assured me.

He didn't know that. He didn't know whether or not it would go away. This could kill me. It really could kill me.

Byron kissed the top of my head and rubbed my back soothingly as I cried into his chest.

"I love you, Ella." Byron whispered lovingly.

* * *

><p>I stepped on the scale and gasped as I realized my weight had dropped ten pounds in the last three days. That wasn't normal. That wasn't normal at all. I was trying to eat three meals a day, but when I wasn't hungry, I didn't eat.<p>

I began getting a dull ache in my stomach after eating as well. I kept it to myself for a while because it didn't seem too serious to bother anyone about it.

* * *

><p>I groaned as I felt my stomach churning. I sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.<p>

All of a sudden, a wave of nausea washed over me. I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. I collapsed next to the toilet as I became violently sick.

A moment later, I felt Byron behind me as he held my hair. He began rubbing my back soothingly as I coughed. I held my stomach in my hands, waiting for the moment of pain to pass.

What was happening to me?

Byron brushed his finger across my cheek; wiping away tears I hadn't realized had fallen.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm my body back down.

"Are you okay?" Byron whispered soothingly as he held my hands tightly in his. Clear worry was etched throughout his entire face.

I closed my eyes for a moment before nodding.

Byron helped me up from the floor as I leaned over the sink. I washed my mouth out as more tears fell from my eyes.

Byron quickly enveloped me in his arms as I cried into his shirt. He kissed the top of my head as he rubbed my back soothingly.

"How's the pain?" Byron asked.

The pain was mostly focused in my lower abdomen. At times it was unbearable.

"Better but still there." I said softly.

"It's all going to be okay, Ella. It's all going to be okay." Byron whispered.

* * *

><p>I sighed as I heard the front door open and close. Byron was home from work. I had been lying in bed for the past hour, trying to relax.<p>

I know that the reason I'm so drained is because of my cancer. I just wish there was something I could do about it.

"Ella?" I heard Byron ask from downstairs.

"Up here!" I yelled from our bedroom.

I wish this were all over. I'm so tired. I want my life to go back to how it was before these symptoms began. I wish I wasn't so tired all the time. I wish I wasn't getting so sick every day.

"Ella? What's wrong?" Byron asked as he waked into the room to find me lying on our bed.

I slowly sat up in the bed as he watched me worriedly. It seems like that is all he has been doing since my diagnosis: worrying. He always wanted to know what I ate every day, how the pain was, how I was feeling physically and emotionally, and if I had done anything that day to strain my body.

"I'm just exhausted and stressed out. Not like physically, but I'm emotionally tired." I trailed off, as Byron sat down on the edge of the bed.

Byron remained silent for a moment before finally speaking.

"Come here." He said as he scooted more towards the center of the bed.

I obliged and sat down in front of him.

"No, face the other way." He said.

I shot him a look of confusion before doing what he said.

I sat in front of him, facing the wall in front of us.

He began massaging my body, beginning at my lower back and working upwards. His strong hands moved up to my mid back, as I closed my eyes and basked in the relaxing touch of his hands.

All I could think was how good this felt. As if for a moment, everything stressful in my life was finally gone.

As he got higher and higher on my back, however, the pleasure decreased and the pain increased.

As he reached my shoulder blades, my breathing became heavier. As soon as he hit the middle of my shoulder blade, I cried out in pain.

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" Byron asked worriedly as he quickly moved away from me.

"I don't know..." I began, as I softly rubbing the area of my shoulders that had been hurting.

Byron slowly lifted my shirt up and gasped once my shoulders were in view.

"Ella..." He whispered, worry and pain laced throughout his voice.

"What? What's wrong?" I asked, confused.

Byron lightly traced his fingertips over part of my upper back.

"What?" I asked again, more worriedly this time.

"You're all bruised up..." Byron whispered.

I looked at him in confusion for a moment before getting up from the bed and heading into our bathroom. I looked at my back in the mirror to find a bruise the size of my fist sitting between my shoulder blades.

Where had that come from? I couldn't remember hitting anything in the past few days.

I traced the skin smoothly for a moment before Byron entered the bathroom.

"Ella..." He said quietly.

There was only one thing that this bruise could have come from: cancer.

My eyes began welling up with tears at this realization.

As Byron saw my tear filled eyes, he quickly enveloped me in a loving embrace, as I cried into his shirt.

Why is this happening to me? I don't want to go through this. I don't want to have cancer!

How much longer was I going to be able to hide it from the kids? It was only a matter of time...

* * *

><p>"Byron, I don't feel good." I whispered, as I finally managed to gather the strength to bother him with my pain.<p>

"What's wrong?" He asked worriedly, as he quickly shut off the movie we had been watching.

I tried to steady my fast breathing as I answered. "I don't know. I just don't feel good." My eyes began welling up with tears, as the pain in my abdomen became worse and worse.

"Everything hurts." I whispered, as the tears that had been building in my eyes finally fell down my cheeks.

"I'm taking you to the hospital." Byron said, as he shook his head at me.

I got up from the couch and wiped my tears away as I grabbed my purse from the table by the door. I followed Byron out to the car. He held my door open for me as I got into the car. The ride to the hospital was silent. Byron held one of my hands in his the whole ride there, as if trying to assure me that everything would be okay.

When we arrived at the hospital, we were immediately taken into a room. My nurse took my blood tests and gave me an IV.

"I'm so sorry that all this happening to you, Ella. I wish I knew why this is all happening to you." Byron said sadly.

"Me too." I whispered brokenly. "But we can't think about that. We're only allowed to think of what is going to make it go away."

"I know. Everything's going to be okay, Ella." Byron squeezed my hand tightly in his.

We both looked up as my nurse came back into the room.

"I have some bad news." She said sympathetically. "Your white blood cell count is extremely low. The doctors were discussing surgery in order to remove the tumor from your colon. After surgery, you would begin chemotherapy. I know that this is a lot to take in, so let me know when you are comfortable to preform the surgery and then we'll go from there. I'll let the two of you talk."

As soon as the nurse left the room, I turned to Byron with fearful eyes. "Surgery?" I whispered.

"If surgery is what it takes to make you better, then we're going to do it." Byron said. "I can't lose you Ella." Byron closed his eyes in frustration and distress. "I can't." He whispered.

"You're not going to." I whispered, as I placed my palm on his cheek.

The nurse entered the room a few moments later, waiting for our decision.

"Let's do it." Byron said, as soon as the nurse walked back into the room.

"You're sure?" She asked.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"I'll talk to the surgeons and see when is the soonest we can schedule it for." She gave Byron and I small smile before leaving the room.

* * *

><p>"To go over the surgery one more time, I'll be taking out about three inches of your colon. The x-rays and biopsy's taken from your colonoscopy showed that your cancer is only present in a small portion of your colon. The cancerous part will be taken out entirely and the two sections will be sewn back together. Do you have any questions?" The surgeon asked.<p>

Byron and I both shook our heads. I just wanted them to do this already. I wanted the pain to go away.

"We'll be back for you in a minute." He said, before leaving the room.

"Are you okay?" Byron asked me.

"I don't know." I admitted.

"It's going to be alright. Everything's going to be okay. They're going to make you better, Ella." Byron assured me, as he held my hand tightly in his.

I couldn't stop myself from asking the dreaded question. "What is something goes wrong?"

"It won't." Byron shook his head. "Everything is going to be okay. Just have hope." He whispered. "It's all going to be over before the kids even get back home."

The surgeon came back into the room with the anesthesiologist a moment later.

The anesthesiologist inserted something into my IV before everything began to fade away.

Byron's worried face was the last thing I saw before darkness took over me.

* * *

><p><strong>If I get 30 or more reviews, I'll update tonight or tomorrow morning! More likely tonight then tomorrow if I get enough reviews! The next part has Ezra and Aria in it.<strong>


	16. Chapter 16

**Told you guys that once I hit thirty, I'd update! Thank you so much for your amazing reviews! This is kind of a flash back chapter like the last one, but by the end, it's back to present day. I hope it's not too confusing. Enjoy! **

**To clear it up, this takes place six months after the previous chapter. **

* * *

><p><em>Six months later<em>

"I can't believe that it's back." I whispered tearfully, as Byron hugged me tighter against him.

"Ella, I would do everything I could to make sure you don't have to go through this again, but there's nothing we can do now except deal with it. We need to be thankful for the few months you spend in remission after your surgery." Byron tried to comfort me.

"But how could they have missed it? How couldn't they have seen that the cancer was in more than one place? If they would have found the rest of the cancer, they would have done surgery on that section too, and there wouldn't be any more of it in my body!" I cried.

How is this happening to me again? I've already been through enough, haven't I? Why is my cancer back? Why couldn't it have just stayed away and left me alone and healthy?

"We're going to have to go back to the hospital in a week or two." Byron whispered.

"What about Aria and Mike? They can't stay at their friend's houses for god knows how long?" I asked angrily.

What were my children going to think? There was no way I was going to be able to keep this from them the second time around. It just wasn't possible.

"They can stay at your parents house?" Byron questioned.

I shook my head. "My parents are in Europe until the end of the month." I reminded him.

"I wouldn't want them staying with their friends either, I mean, I wouldn't want to put that burden onto the parents." I said softly, trying to think of what was going to happen to my children.

"It's all my fault..." I whispered. "If I wasn't sick, we wouldn't have to be trying to come up with a family who can take care of the kids for us."

Byron kissed the top of my head before replying. "It's not your fault. None of this is. I'll ask around at work tomorrow if anyone has any ideas of where the kids should stay. My colleagues will understand. Marc Par would be more than willing to help us out, although he has a wife and kids, so maybe not... Robert Daniel might be an option... Or Timothy Rene... Or even Ezra Fitz." Byron mumbled softly to himself.

I knew both Marc and Robert from the faculty mixers we hosted every year. Marc was a great guy, however, he probably wouldn't be willing to add two more kids to his daily schedule. Robert was a nice guy as well, however, I don't know how comfortable I would be having Aria staying with him. He wasn't married and he was almost thirty.

I shuttered to myself just thinking about the two of them alone in a room together. Aria would never forgive me for that living situation.

I had no idea who Timothy or Ezra were.

"I don't think I've met Timothy or Ezra." I said.

"You haven't. They both just started at Hollis this year. They work in my department." Byron clarified.

I looked at him questioningly. "Do we really want to do this? Make our children live with one of your colleagues while I'm in the hospital?" I asked Byron.

"I don't think it's a matter of whether or not we want to, it's a matter of whether or not we even have a choice. I wouldn't want the two of them staying in the house alone. If Aria was eighteen, it would be different, but she's not." He reminded me.

I sighed heavily against his chest in defeat as I closed my eyes. "Then tomorrow morning you should make that call. See which one is willing to help us with this, Timothy or Ezra. I'd like to meet whoever says yes as soon as possible as well." I said.

"Of course, Ella. Of course." Byron whispered into my hair.

* * *

><p>"I made the call." Byron said, as we both climbed into bed the next night.<p>

"So what happened?" I asked as I curled my body up to his.

"They both said that they would be happy to take care of the kids for a little while. I told them about our situation and they completely understand. Now we just have to decide which one we want to choose, Timothy or Ezra." Byron said.

"Well who do you think will be better for the kids?" I asked.

"I don't know. Timothy is 27 and he has a girlfriend, but I know that he would be good with the kids. He always tells me that he can't wait to have teenagers of his own, but then I tell him that he has no idea what he's signing up for." I chuckled.

"You got that one right." I smiled. "But I wouldn't take the kids back for anything."

"Me either." Byron said softly. "Ezra doesn't have a girlfriend, and he has classes three times a week."

"How old is he?" I asked.

"23 I think. He's pretty young, he just graduated from Hollis."

"He got a job there a few months later?" I asked in surprise.

"Yeah." Byron shrugged. "Ezra's a good guy. He deserves it."

"Who do you think Aria would like better?" I asked. "You know that her opinion matters more than Mike's."

"Ezra's an English major, so I know they would connect over their love for English… And he's younger."

"I think she'd be more comfortable with Ezra just because he's closer to her age." I pointed out.

Byron nodded. "You're probably right."

"When can I meet him?" I asked.

"I'll invite him over tomorrow night after dinner. Aria's staying at Spencer's house and Mike will be at Gavin's, so it will just be the three of us." Byron said.

"I really hope this works." I sighed.

* * *

><p>"Ezra, please come in." Byron said, greeting Ezra as he opened the door.<p>

As Ezra walked into the house, I couldn't help but smile. He had a boyish charm to him and his smile was pretty cute. Aria would definitely like him.

"Mrs. Montgomery." Ezra smiled at me.

"You can call me Ella." I smiled back at him.

Byron began walking towards the living room. Ezra and I followed closely behind him.

Ezra and I sat down on the couch as Byron sat in a chair across from the two of us.

"Would you like anything to drink?" Byron asked.

"No, I'm fine, thanks." Ezra said.

"What subject do you teach?" I asked.

"English." He informed me.

"How are your classes going?" Byron asked.

"Great, actually. The students are very enthusiastic and excited to be there." Ezra smiled.

"Good, good." Byron said, before shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "Ezra, there's a reason I asked you here tonight." Byron slowly began, finally getting to the point.

"Yeah, you mentioned that there was something you needed help with?" Ezra questioned.

"Yes, I-" Byron began, but I quickly interrupted him.

"Just listen before you say no." I told Ezra, afraid that he might say no to our favor.

"Of course." Ezra said.

What if he thought this was too much? He was an English professor, not a babysitter! This was a terrible idea. I really should have just called one of my sisters to come down to Rosewood to stay with the kids.

"As you may have heard," Byron began. "Ella has been sick for the past few months. She was diagnosed with colon cancer about seven months ago." He paused.

"I'm so sorry." Ezra began. "Let me know if there's anything you need me to do." He said sympathetically.

The look in his eyes showed that he truly felt bad for us and our situation. He was being completely honest with his sympathy.

"Well… That's what we wanted to talk to you about." Byron said.

"I relapsed." I said, my voice shaking slightly as I tried to keep my emotions in check. "I'll need to begin treatment again soon so I'll be spending quite a bit of time at the hospital. Byron's going to be with me the entire time, but we don't feel comfortable leaving the kids alone in the house."

"You need someone to stay with them?" Ezra asked, knowingly.

"Yeah." Byron sighed tiredly.

"I mean, I'd be happy to help you, but I have classes so I don't know how much time I'll be able to spend with…" Ezra trailed off, not knowing the names of our children.

"Aria." I filled in for him.

"Right." He nodded. "Don't you have a son too?"

I glanced at Byron for a moment before responding. "I think we're going to have him stay at his friend, Gavin's, house. It'll be good for him to be around his friends. Help him take his mind off of things."

"What about Aria's friends?" Ezra asked.

"One girl's parents are always working, one girl has a single parent, and the other's parents are rarely around. I think Aria needs an adult around." I admitted.

"Yeah, it would probably be better." Ezra agreed.

He was going to say no. I knew from the look on his face that Ezra was trying to come up with a nice way to tell us he didn't want to deal with a teenage girl.

"Let's do it." Ezra said, a few moments later.

"Really?" Byron jumped up from his chair in surprise that Ezra had said yes.

I had to admit, I was surprised too!

"Yeah," Ezra nodded. "I understand how difficult your situation is and if it's the only way I can help, I'd be happy to do it."

I couldn't believe he said yes. He actually agreed to taking care of Aria! I felt as if a huge weight of stress had been lifted off of my shoulders. He had saved me from so much pain and stress.

"Thank you, Ezra, really." I smiled.

"Of course." Ezra responded. "Just let me know when you want me to meet her."

"Thanks, Ezra. We'll give you a call." Byron said.

* * *

><p>I couldn't believe I was back in the hospital. How could my life have fallen apart again? I couldn't believe that my cancer was back. How could I have relapsed? I had surgery! My surgery was supposed to fix everything!<p>

Today, Byron and I were going to tell the kids about my cancer. I had to tell Aria that she wasn't going to be living at home anymore. She was going to meet Ezra. I really hope that she likes him.

Mike was going to find out about my cancer, too. He was going to see his mother sick and in pain. They were finally going to get the answers to all the questions they've had these past few months. They were finally going to learn why I haven't been acting like normal lately. Knowing Aria, she was going to realize that all the whispering and secrecy between Byron and I was about my cancer.

What were they going to think about me? They were no longer going to see me as the strong, independent, mother I was. They were going to see a sick, vulnerable woman lying in a hospital bed.

I turned towards Byron who was sitting in a chair beside my hospital bed. From the moment we first entered the hospital room, he placed that chair a few feet away from my bed. He hasn't moved it since.

"Byron?" I asked softly.

"What's wrong?" He asked, looking up from the book he had been reading.

"When should we tell the kids?" I whispered, as tears began building in my eyes.

I was going to crush my children. Their lives were never going to be the same again. It would be all my fault.

Aria was going to be crushed when she finds out. But knowing Aria, she'll keep all her feelings bottled up. She won't open up to anyone about whatever she's going through. I hope Ezra will be able to get her talk. There was no doubt that there were going to be many tears shed in the future. I just hope that Ezra will be there for her the way she will need him.

* * *

><p>"Aria, please. I know that you're angry that I kept this from you but can't you understand why I did that?" I asked desperately.<p>

"Why would you keep something like this from me?" Aria whispered brokenly, tears brimming the edge of her eyes.

"Because I didn't want to see you get hurt!" I said, desperately trying to get her to understand.

"And now you're making me stay with some guy I don't even know?" Aria asked in disbelief.

"Ezra is a nice guy and I think the two of you will become good friends. We didn't want you staying all alone at home because we don't know how long it will be until I can come home again!"

"You could have asked me how I felt about the situation before asking someone to babysit me." Aria pointed out.

"I'm sorry, Aria." I said.

"Whatever, mom." Aria said, as she turned to leave the room.

As soon as she reached the door, Byron entered the room at the same time. Aria and Byron stared at each other for a moment, as if having a silent conversation with each other.

"Did you tell her yet?" Aria asked. "Now that she's lying on her deathbed, don't you think it's time?"

What was Aria talking about? What was Byron supposed to tell me? And did she really just say 'deathbed'? Did she really think I was going to die?

"Just go home, Aria." Byron said to her, as if he was talking to a young child.

"Typical, Dad." Aria scoffed, as she quickly disappeared from the room.

Byron had an exhausted look on his face as he walked deeper into the room. He sunk down into the chair beside my bed.

"What was Aria talking about? What are you supposed to tell me?" I asked, confusion laced throughout my voice.

"Nothing, Ella. Don't worry about it." Byron said tiredly.

"Byron, what was she talking about?" I asked in a more demanding tone. Just because I was sick didn't mean that I was going to tolerate being pushed to the side.

"It's nothing for you to worry about!" Byron ran a hand through his hair in a frustrated manner.

What was he keeping from me? What didn't he want me to know?

"I thought we didn't keep secrets from each other, Byron."

"We don't." Byron responded, refusing to look up to meet my eyes.

"Then why does Aria know something about you that I don't?" I asked.

"Do you have to know everything?" Byron asked, agitation clear throughout his tone.

"I'm your wife, I should know everything about you!" I cried.

Byron sighed and looked down in distress. I closed my eyes for a moment. I didn't want to argue with him. But I didn't appreciate him keeping things from me. Especially if Aria knew these things and I didn't.

"I'm going to grab some things from the house. Is there anything you want me to bring you?" Byron got up from the chair and walked closer to my bed.

"My pillow? And the book that's sitting beside the bed." I said.

He leaned down and kissed my forehead before disappearing from the room.

As soon as he left the room, I reached over to my duffel bag and pulled out the empty journal I had brought with me. I grabbed a pen and settled myself comfortably against my pillows.

I wanted to do something for Aria that she would remember me by. Of course she's going to remember you, you're her mother!

Aria was going to be spending the next who knows how long without a real mother figure in her life. If this all ended badly, if I couldn't make it through this, then Aria and Mike were going to grow up without a mother. Without someone to pack their school lunches in the morning. Without someone to teach them the basic morals and values of life.

I had brought this notebook with me so I could write about my experience here. But why don't I change the focus from me to Aria?

_Aria, _

_First off, I love you so much. You are the most amazing daughter a mother could ever ask for. You are compassionate, caring, loving, and everything I ever wanted in a daughter. You light up my life and you are the reason I am fighting this cancer. I know I can't let it take me. I have to stay with you. This notebook is filled with notes and advice I have for you. I'm not going to be seeing you all the time and in life, you're going to get into hard situations. When you don't know what to do, reference this. This is a part of me that will always be with you. I love you, Aria. _

_Love always, _

_Ella_

I turned the page and paused for a moment. What did I want Aria to know? I knew she wanted to major in English and write a best selling novel. Mainly, I just wanted her to follow her dreams. That was a good place to start, right?

* * *

><p>- Never give up on your ambitions. If you want to write a best selling novel, do it! If you want to travel the world, don't let anything or anyone stop you!<p>

- Don't ever underestimate yourself. You are capable of anything.

- Follow your heart. If it doesn't feel right, don't do it. And if it does, go at it with full force.

- You'll find love, get your heart broken, and find love again. Aria, love is a beautiful, messy, horrible, magical, and terrible, thing. It's a roller coaster. But trust me, love is worth every moment when you're with the one you belong with. I hope that one day, you find your soul mate. The one who tells you that you're beautiful when you don't have any make up on. It'll be the person whose touch sends sparks throughout your body. It'll be the person who you can't bear to be without. It'll be the person whose kiss will feel like the first each time. You'll know in your heart when you've found that person. You'll just know.

- If a relationship doesn't feel right, let it go. No matter how hard it is. Even if you love him, but you're not _in love_ with him, it's not meant to be.

- Keep your friends close. Those are the girls who will love you forever. They'll always be walking with you, no matter what battle you're going through.

* * *

><p>I wiped away the tears that had fallen from my eyes. I couldn't believe that I was doing this. That I was really giving Aria advice that I knew she wouldn't get if this all ended badly.<p>

I can't leave her. I can't leave Aria alone in this big, crazy world, without a mother. Without someone who will hold her when she's sad or someone who will bake cookies with her at two in the morning. I need her. And she needs me.

* * *

><p>"Byron, what day are they scheduling the surgery for?" I asked.<p>

"I'm not sure yet, they're still deciding." He answered. At that moment, Aria and Ezra walked into the room. They were whispering to each other and walking very closely next to each other. What was going on? What were they talking about?

"Aria, sweetie, how are you?" I asked. She looked around the transformed room. It was now filled with vases holding colorful flowers, and dozens of 'Get Well Soon' cards.

"Hi, Ella, how are you doing?" Ezra asked.

"Better, thanks. Have you talked to Mike lately?" I wondered.

Aria and Ezra glanced at each other nervously for a moment before diverting their attention back to me. "Uh-yeah, yeah." Aria said.

"He stayed with us for a while the other day." Ezra clarified.

I nodded, a little happier that Mike was spending some time with Aria.

"What have the two of you been up to?" I asked him and Aria.

"Same thing every day." Aria chuckled, as she sat down on a chair by the window. "Visiting you."

I rolled my eyes at her. I was about to make fun of her, but a shot of pain raced through my body.

I gasped and held my hands tightly against my stomach. This pain was truly unbearable. I couldn't handle it.

"Byron, can you call the nurse to get me a pain killer?" I whispered harshly.

Byron jumped up from his seat and quickly called the nurse.

Through the pain, I saw Aria quickly leave the room with a distressed look on her face. Ezra was following closely behind her. From my room, I could see them talking to each other in the hallway. Aria began crying and Ezra hugged her in an effort to comfort her. I saw him kiss the top of her head as she cried into his shirt. What was she crying about? Was it me? And why were they looking at each other like that? That hug looks a lot more intimate than friendly. What is going on between them?

I shook my head. I was probably just imagining things. Ezra is Aria's support system right now, and it would be silly if she didn't turn to him for comfort. But I had to admit, the way they were holding each other looked more than a little bit friendly.

* * *

><p>"Are you going to tell her?" Aria asked angrily. She and Byron had been standing outside my room, arguing with each other for ten minutes now. I had gotten sick of not being able to hear what they were talking about, so I got up from my bed and opened the door a crack. Ezra was out there too, but he had been silent during the entire conversation.<p>

"No, I'm not. She's sick, Aria! She doesn't need to deal with my mistakes too!" Byron responded harshly.

"Will you stop acting like a child? You're acting like you actually care about her! Like you don't want to see her get hurt! But you're the one who hurt her! You're the one who will be the reason to cause all the pain she'll be in when she finds out! It's _ your _ fault_! _Don't you understand that?" Aria yelled. I could see tears pouring down her face through the window in the door.

What the hell was going on? What were they fighting about? What did Byron do?

"If something goes wrong with her surgery and you don't get the chance to tell her, how are you going to feel? Knowing that she died without knowing what you did to her?" Aria snarled.

What did Byron do? What was Aria talking about? I wasn't going to die! My surgery, even though I've already had one before, was supposed to fix everything! It was supposed to put my cancer in remission again! Please, Aria, don't think like that! I'm going to get better! I am!

"She doesn't need to be put in more pain than she already is in!" Byron cried.

"You're just a coward. Do you know that? Just man up and tell her! It's not fair to her that she's the one sick at the hospital, and she doesn't know that you're keeping a huge secret from her!" Aria yelled.

For a moment, all I could hear was silence. Then all of a sudden, I heard Aria speak again.

"If you don't tell her, I will." Aria said so softly, that I had to strain my ears to hear what she was saying.

"Aria-" I heard Ezra interrupt.

"No, Ezra. He has to tell her and you know it." Aria argued.

"I still can't believe that you told him about this." Byron said.

"He's actually been there for me throughout all of this. He actually cares about what I'm going through. In case you haven't noticed, you've been too busy taking care of mom to notice how this is affecting Mike and I. You're not the only one in this family, you know." Aria said.

What was going on between Aria and Byron? I knew that I wasn't going to hear anything more from my bed.

"Aria, I can't do this now." Byron said to her. "Do you understand how sick and vulnerable your mother is right now? She needs all the support she can get. She doesn't need to be hurt with this right now." Byron tried to reason with her.

"I'm glad you understand that she's going to get hurt. Because that's the only thing that has come out of this situation! But don't you think she deserves to know?" Aria yelled.

What were they talking about? What was I supposed to know?

I began to get up from the bed, anxious to find out what was going on between the two of them, but the door slammed open before my feet touched the ground.

"What is going on out there?" I asked Aria desperately.

"Byron has something he'd like to tell you." Aria held the room door open for Byron to enter. As he slowly walked into the room, she never removed her angry glare from his face.

He looked guilty and nervous. What was going on? What happened? Why was he looking at me like that?

"Aria, could you leave the room and close the door?" Byron asked.

Aria left the room without another word, slamming the door closed behind her.

I saw Ezra embrace her as she started crying uncontrollably. They were clinging to each other as if they couldn't breathe without holding the other. Or at least that's how Aria was holding him.

What was going on between the two of them? By the looks of it, their friendship was turning into something more, but that couldn't be possible, could it? This was silly. Aria was probably acting like that because she was an emotional wreck.

"What is going on?" I demanded, turning back to Byron.

At this point, he looked exhausted and deeply troubled. He finally looked up at me, but refused to look me in the eyes. "There's something I need to tell you."

I looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to finally spill whatever it is that he's been hiding from me for so long.

"I…" He began, but never finished his sentence.

He what? What did he have to tell me?

"Someone kissed me." Byron whispered.

Someone kissed him? Why was he telling me this? Who was it? And why?

"Someone kissed you." I repeated dryly, not understanding what I was supposed to know.

Someone kissed him. Another woman kissed my husband? Or… did he kiss someone? What if he's twisting the truth around and he's the one who initiated it?

He kissed someone.

"Someone kissed you or you kissed someone?" I asked slowly.

"I kissed someone." He revealed.

"Why?" I asked. Why would he kiss someone that wasn't me? I just didn't understand.

Byron refrained from answering my question.

"You kissed someone…" I began, finally putting all the pieces together. "Or you _ cheated on me?" _

He bowed his head; doing everything he could do avoid my eyes.

My heart rate sped up so fast that I was afraid my heart monitor was going to go crazy.

Oh my god. He cheated on me. How did this happen? How did I not see it coming? I thought he loved me! Was our whole marriage a joke to him? When did this happen? Is it still going on? What the hell happened to our marriage? How could he do this to me? Did I trust him too much? Was I ever going to be able to trust him again?

Tears quickly began falling down my cheeks as I tried to process what was happening.

Why would he do this? He ruined absolutely everything! Why wasn't I good enough for him? What did I do wrong? What did I do to make him cheat on me? Is it because I'm sick? Did he get tired of having to take care of me? Did he hate having a wife who can't take care of herself? Is this all my fault? What if it is? What if I really brought this onto myself?

Does Byron trust me? Does he care about me at all? Does he still even love me?

No, he doesn't. Because if he did, he wouldn't have cheated on me. _He wouldn't have cheated._

I couldn't deal with this. Especially not now! I was battling with cancer! I didn't want to deal with a cheating husband too! I can't handle this right now. I just can't.

Why would he do this to me? Why would he hurt me like this?

This can't be true. It just can't. This has to be a nightmare. Byron couldn't have cheated on me. He loves me! Doesn't he?

Why would he do that to me? How long have I not been good enough for him that he's had to go after some other woman?

We had been so happy together. When had that changed? What ruined our relationship?

"Why?" I whispered brokenly, as more tears fell from my eyes.

"Ella…" He began, as he reached up to wipe some of my tears away.

"Tell me why you cheated on me!" I cried, as I pushed his hand away from me. I couldn't touch him. I didn't want to touch him. Not after he had gone after someone else.

Who did he cheat on me with? Was it just one person? Or was it multiple women? How could I have been so oblivious to his infidelity?

How did I not notice that he wasn't happy with me? That he was cheating on me? When did this happen? Is it still going on?

"When did this happen?" I asked angrily. He still hadn't answered my previous question.

"A year ago." He whispered. "I haven't seen or talked to her in a year."

This happened a year ago? He kept this from me for _a whole year? _

Was every touch and kiss between us a lie? When he kissed me good-bye before leaving for work, was that a cover up of who he was going to kiss later? Was every late night he spent at the school just an excuse to be with this woman? Who was she anyway? Did I know her? Has she been walking around, talking to me, knowing that I was a fool for being with a cheater that I didn't know was cheating?

Did he really love me? He didn't. He couldn't.

Byron wasn't who I thought he was. I thought he was the perfect husband. The one who I would be with forever. The one who would never dream of hurting me. I was so wrong.

How do I know that he won't cheat on me again? How do I know that he's telling the truth? How could he hurt me like this?

He's everything I thought he never was. Why would he do this to me? Did he want to ruin everything?

How could he betray me like this?

"Why would you hurt me like this?" I whispered brokenly, wiping away some of the tears from my face.

"I didn't want to hurt you."

"You didn't want to hurt me? You should've known that the only thing cheating leads to is hurt. How do you _ not _know that? Why have you kept this from me for so long? _How _ could you keep this from me for so long? Why wasn't I good enough for you, Byron?" I cried.

"You were. You are. It was… a moment of weakness. We had been fighting constantly and I was angry. She realized something was wrong and she listened to me." Byron said painfully.

How could he still wear his wedding ring, knowing that he cheated on me? Knowing that he broke our wedding vows? Knowing that he broke one of the most important rules of marriage?

"Do you love her?" I couldn't stop myself from asking.

"No. I don't and I never have. I love you, Ella. Not her." Byron tried assuring me.

I didn't know whether or not to believe him.

"I'm so sorry, Ella." Byron said painfully. I could see that he was really struggling with this from the look in his eyes.

Cheating was rarely forgivable. I knew the right thing to do would be to forgive him and move on, but he ruined my trust and he ruined our relationship. As much as I wish I could put this behind us and move on, especially since it happened so long ago, or so he claims, I don't think I can do it. I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive him.

"Ella…" Byron whispered, as he put his hand over mine as if restating how sorry he was. Was he really sorry? Did he actually regret it? Or was she better than me?

A new round of tears cascaded down my cheeks. As much as I didn't want to believe this, it was real. He actually cheated on me. As much as I wish it was just a dream… it really happened. And there was nothing I could do about it.

I couldn't help but feel disgusted with him.

Every time I kissed him, I was kissing the same lips another woman had kissed. Every time he told me he loved me, he was saying the same three words to another woman. Every time we made love, I wasn't the only one he was connecting with.

Everything in my life was falling apart. My health was failing me and my husband cheated on me. Why was this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this pain and misery? _ What did I do wrong? _

"I hope it was worth it. That you got what you wanted from her." I said.

I slid my hand out from underneath his.

"I love you. But I wish I didn't." I whispered miserably.

I grasped my wedding ring between my fingers and for the first time since Byron and I said the words, "I do," to one another, I slid it off of my finger. I set the ring down on the table beside my bed as I wiped away the final tear from my eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>I wonder if Jackie knew about Maggie. I kind of would enjoy seeing a conversation between Aria and Jackie about Maggie. <strong>

**Next chapter is back to Aria or Ezra's POV! Hope you guys liked this, review please! **


	17. Chapter 17

**I can't believe we're over 400! That's seriously insane. Thank you guys so much! **

**Thank you to my lovely reviewers: EllaSallyRose, Jordan, Jordan3, Prettylittlefan, Boothandbonesforever, havee2lovetroian, nightmares,and,dreamers, FearlessLove1368, LauralovesPLL, HarrylovesGinny09, have2lovetroian, CiannaKizzy, Calypsana, WWKMDbracelets, Guest, hiding,my,heart, Notinyourlifetimehoney, thecandygirl1, Brennan'Ezria Lover, SophieLovesPLL, mimi, and Guest! **

**Enjoy! **

* * *

><p>"Can we please leave?" I asked Ezra desperately. Ella and Byron had been yelling at each other for the past twenty minutes and I didn't know how much more of it I could handle.<p>

"Of course." Ezra said softly. "Should I tell them that we're leaving?" He asked hesitantly.

"Why the hell would you do this to me? Lie to me! Just tell me that this isn't true!" I heard Ella yell at Byron from inside of her room.

"It's not worth going in there." I grabbed Ezra's hand tightly in mine and led him out of the hospital.

The ride home was silent. Every few moments, Ezra wiped away a stray tear that had fallen from my eyes.

I had no words to say as Ezra pulled into the driveway of my house.

I walked up the stairs to my room without bothering to spare a glance at Ezra. I just didn't have anything to say.

I collapsed onto my bed and grabbed a pillow from my bed. I held it tightly in my arms as tears began falling down my cheeks.

I had been watching their conversation from the window of her door. From her expressions, I had been able to figure out the exact moment he had when he had told her. The heartbreak and vulnerability in her eyes had just been too much. It was there because of Byron. Because of the person whose supposed to love her more than himself. The person who committed his whole life to her. The person who promised to never hurt her.

I couldn't believe that he told her. After over a year, he finally told Ella that he cheated on her.

All the tears I had been holding back in the car finally fell. I couldn't handle this anymore. I thought that everything had been falling apart before. But now, everything was shattered. Broken beyond repair.

My family was never going to be the same.

"Aria," I heard Ezra say softly.

I slowly gathered the strength to look up to meet his eyes. He walked over to me and as soon as he reached my spot on the bed, I pulled him into an embrace. He held me tightly against him as I cried into his collarbone.

A few moments later, I pulled him with me onto the bed. I leaned my head against his chest, basking in the feeling of being wrapped in Ezra's arms.

Was this what Ella felt when Byron held her? Was this what Ella craved from Byron when she was hurting?

What was going to happen to their relationship? What was going to happen to my family?

Cheating usually ends in divorce. How would they get a divorce while Ella was in the hospital though? Is that what she's going to want? She needs Byron by her side. She needs him now more than ever.

Was I going to be able to handle it if they got a divorce? What were they going to do? Bring the court to the hospital? Ella is in no fit condition to leave and she needs to be at the hospital every day for her treatments!

Not only was I going to have a best friend who was murdered, a father who cheated, and a mother with cancer, but I would have divorced parents as well.

"I can't believe he told her." I whispered brokenly, as more tears fell from my eyes. "Did you see the look on her face when she found out?"

Ezra wiped away some of my tears with his thumb before beginning to run his fingers softly through my hair in a comforting manner.

"He had to tell her eventually." Ezra said softly. "The longer he kept it from her, the more it would have hurt her."

I turned to him with questioning eyes. "But why would he tell her now? I pushed him to because she needs to know, but now is the worst possible time! No one knows how much more of this she'll be able to handle, so he told her now in case something bad were to happen to her before he was give the chance!" I realized. "She's not dealing with just cancer anymore. She's dealing with a lying cheating husband too."

I cried harder at the thought of how much pain Ella probably is in at this moment.

"No one said it would hurt this much." I whispered. "I want it to go away, Ezra."

Ezra tightened his arms around me as I cried into his chest, staining his t-shirt with my salty tears.

"I'm so sorry, Aria." Ezra whispered into my hair, before kissing the top of my head. "I'm so sorry that you're in the middle of this mess."

I lifted my head from his chest. His baby blue eyes met my hazel ones, and all I found was hurt and love.

I knew seeing me in this state was the reason for the hurt that was building up in his eyes. But I still couldn't believe that he loved me. He actually loved me. Even through he worked with my dad. Even though my parents asked him to babysit me. He loves me. He really truly loves me.

* * *

><p><em>My mother was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer when I was fifteen. I watched her go through surgery, chemotherapy, and more. I had to live with my grandparents for a few months. Sometimes I would go days without seeing either of my parents. I hated knowing what was happening to my mother because it was too hard to watch her go through all of it. It probably hurt me more than it hurt her. She spend two years in remission after surgery and chemo, but two months ago, her doctor told us that her cancer was back. The first time around, as hard as the whole situation was, I stayed strong and didn't let it hurt me. But I don't know how I'll be able to handle it a second time. I hate this. Cancer never ends well. It's the worst thing that can happen to a person. It tears apart marriages, families, friendships, and people. It doesn't build people up. It only breaks people down.<em>

_- Broken For Now_

I took a deep breath before scrolling down the page.

_My mom was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer two years ago. Since then she has gone through chemotherapy every Wednesday, and two surgeries. I constantly have to watch her give blood, receive chemo, and cry herself to sleep because of the pain. I don't know how much more of this pain she'll be able to handle before she decides that she can't do it anymore. She's getting another surgery this month, hopefully it helps. Lately it's been getting too hard to watch her go through all of this pain. I've been staying at home with my aunt and uncle, who have to force me to go to the hospital once a week because I'm too scared to go otherwise. I don't know what's going to happen next, but I can only hope that my mother is strong enough to get through it all._

_- Keep Trying to Find the Light_

I scrolled down the page, distraught from what I had just read. Reading about other people's stories of their experience with a family member diagnosed with cancer is supposed to help me, not hurt me!

_I have been sick and really lazy lately. It's gotten to the point where I just lay in bed all day. I've been told that it could be depression and that I'll eventually snap out of it. But to be honest, I really don't know. A part of me wants to believe that maybe it's true. Because of the holidays and my mom being gone, this is the first holiday without her and it's crushing me to be celebrating without her._

_My sister, brother, niece and I just all had our birthdays these past months and I guess that's when it started. The fact that she wasn't here to celebrate with us, made me think of things differently._

_As much as I love Christmas, a part of me is not looking forward to it and wishing that the year would just pass so we could start fresh._

_- Wanting a New Beginning_

I slammed my laptop shut, unable to handle it anymore. If in the past, cancer only ended badly for these families, I was going to do everything I could to make sure it ended well for my family. That Ella defeated it.

* * *

><p><em>Dear Ella, <em>

_I'm so sorry that I had to keep that from you. The look of heartbreak on your face when Byron told you just shattered me. I wish there was something I could do to make it better. I can't even imagine how much you're hurting right now. Not only are you in physical pain, but now you're in emotional pain anymore. _

_I know Byron hurt you, but I hope that in time you'll be able to forgive him. Please try to give him a second chance, Ella. I know it hurts, trust me, I was in shock when I found out. But we can't let our family fall apart. We need each other now, more than ever. You need Byron. I know you probably don't want anything to do with him now, but you need him. You probably don't want to admit it to yourself, but you know it's true. You're dealing with much more than just Byron's infidelity. You're dealing with your cancer, and whatever else is happening to you that I don't know about. Loneliness? Pain? Depression? _

_Mom, whatever it is, I know that you're strong enough to get through it all. You're strong enough to get through this. You know you are. _

_I keep reading articles and researching medical websites. I want to know what's going to happen with you. I want to know what to expect. I want to be ready when something happens. But I've only learned one thing from all the articles and websites I've found: that none of this can end well. No, not can. I mean that none of this will end well. _

_Everything I read is a story about how someone lose a loved one to cancer. Or how life was normal before the family lost everything because of one parents' cancer. _

_Our lives will never be the same again._

_If you don't make it through this, I don't know how I'm going to keep living my life. I can't go on without you. I need you. I need you, mom. _

_Who's going to support me when I'm struggling? Who's going to help me when I don't understand my homework? Who am I going to talk to when I have to make a hard decision? Mom, I need you. _

_I miss you so much. I just want you to come home so we can go back to being a normal family again. _

_Get better soon. _

_Love you always,_

_Aria_

* * *

><p>I sat on the floor of the living room with pictures and the scrapbook I was making for Ella placed in front of me.<p>

"I'm almost done." I said to Ezra. "But I don't know if I should go back through it and take out any photos of her and Byron together."

Ezra picked up a picture that was sitting off to the side. "Look at how happy they look here." He commented, before handing the picture to me.

"That was Iceland. The one place where everything wasn't broken." I sighed.

"I think you should leave your father in the book. Just because she's hurting now doesn't mean that she stopped loving him." Ezra said.

"I know, but…" I paused, setting the picture down. "Every picture of him is going to remind her of what he did."

"Or of the love they used to had. Just because he was unfaithful doesn't mean that their marriage will never work out. Maybe seeing how happy they used to be will make her fight to get her marriage back." Ezra suggested.

"Maybe…" I trailed off.

I spend the next two hours cutting, pasting, and decorating, as Ezra sat on the couch above me reading a book. He had no artistic abilities, unless they were English related.

* * *

><p>"I am officially done." I announced as I glued the last photo down into Ella's scrapbook.<p>

"Congratulations." Ezra chuckled, as he looked up from his book.

"Hey, it was a lot of work!" I bantered back, mocking offense at his sarcasm.

Just as Ezra was about to come up with a comeback, we heard the front door of the house open.

Mike walked into the living room, confusion written all over his face.

"What's going on with Ella? I called earlier and she almost started crying." He asked.

The smile on my face slowly faded. In just one moment, everything was falling apart again. A minute ago, Ezra and I had been joking around, laughing with each other, but now, I was doing everything I could to blink back tears.

Was I supposed to tell him about Byron's infidelity? Was I supposed to tell him the real reason Ella was crying on the phone? Was I supposed to lie and make up some story about how her pain meds weren't helping the way they should be, and that was why she must have been crying?

As his older sister, it was my job to protect him. But I didn't want to lie to him the way Byron lied to Ella. Lying to him would only hurt him more when he came home and saw Byron and Ella fighting. Or worse, if he came home and Byron was completely gone.

I turned to Ezra, now knowing what to tell Mike.

"I think you should tell him." Ezra said, immediately answering my questioning look.

"Are you sure?" I asked in astonishment.

"He'll find out eventually." Ezra reminded me.

"Find out what, Aria?" Mike asked. "What's going on?"

I glanced at Ezra nervously for a moment before turning back to Mike.

"Uh… You should probably sit down for this." I began, as Ezra and I sat down beside each other on the couch.

Ezra immediately took one of my hands in his. Even though Mike was sitting in front of us, I couldn't bring myself to pull my hand away from his.

"About a year ago…" I began, my voice shaking with each word. "I saw Byron doing something that would hurt Ella. He told her about it today, and Ella's heartbroken of course…" I trailed off.

"What did he do?" Mike asked hesitantly.

I closed my eyes for a moment, not wanting to tell Mike.

"Mike…" I whispered.

"Aria, what happened?" Mike demanded.

"Dad cheated on mom." I whispered brokenly.

The look on Mike's face broke my heart. It was a mixture of hurt, confusion, and anger.

He opened his mouth to say something, but slowly closed it as words escaped him.

"What the hell, Aria?" He finally exclaimed. "You're lying. Dad wouldn't do that to mom. Especially now." He tried to convince himself.

"Mike, this was over a year ago." I explained.

"He cheated on her a year ago and is only telling her about it now?" Mike cried.

I nodded, ashamed of my father.

"What the hell is wrong with this family?" Mike asked angrily. "Everyone is so screwed up!"

Mike's body was shaking in rage. As much as I wanted to help him calm down, I knew better than to get near him.

"Mike, I know you're angry, imagine how I felt when I found out!" I said. Ezra held my hand tighter in his.

"How did this even come up? When did dad tell you about this?" Mike demanded.

I glanced at Ezra for a moment before turning my gaze back to Mike.

"It doesn't matter-" I quickly said, dismissing his question.

"Aria, tell me. When did you find out about this?" Mike pressed.

"About a year ago." I whispered.

A look of pure anger flashed across Mike's eyes. "You've known about this for a year? He just told mom now?" Mike whispered menacingly.

"Yeah." I said softly.

"How the hell did you find out, and why the hell did you keep it to yourself?" Mike asked angrily.

"Mike, you don't want to hear that." I said.

"Aria, just tell me!"

"I caught Dad with one of his students last year, and he made me promise not to tell!" I exclaimed.

"He cheated on mom with his student?" Mike asked in disgust.

I remained silent, not wanting to push Mike with the truth any more than I already had, while he was in this fragile state.

"I-I can't do this. Tell dad thanks for ruining our lives." He bit out angrily, before storming up the stairs to his room.

I remained silent for a moment as I turned to Ezra. He was in just as much shock at Mike's reaction as I was.

"That wasn't supposed to happen." I said softly.

"No. No it wasn't." Ezra confirmed.

I hadn't expected Mike's reaction to be so harsh. I thought he would understand. I thought he would realize that no matter how much he wished he could change the past, he couldn't.

* * *

><p>"Mike?" I asked quietly, as I slowly opened his room door.<p>

Mike had his back to the door and was sitting at his desk with his head in his hands.

"I'm so sorry I had to tell you this." I whispered.

Mike remained silent, not even bothering to look up at me.

"Mike..."

After a few moments of silence, he finally looked up at me. There were tears in his eyes and he looked heartbroken.

"How could he do this to our family?" Mike asked brokenly.

"I don't know, Mike. I don't know."

Mike's eyes met mine once again and I felt my heart breaking at the sight of the hurt in his eyes. I couldn't stop my own eyes from welling up as I watched my younger brother.

Wordlessly, I pulled him into an embrace as the tears that were brimming in my eyes finally spilled over. I hugged him closer to me, wanting to remind him how much I loved him.

"It's all going to be okay." I whispered.

As Mike moved away from my embrace, I wiped my tears away from my eyes.

"We've already had this conversation. You don't know how this is all going to end. You can't say that everything will be okay, because it won't, and you know it. Stop trying to lie to yourself, Aria." Mike said quietly.

Deep down, I knew that he was right. I just didn't know how much more hurt our family could handle.

* * *

><p>"Is everything okay?" Ezra asked, as soon as he saw me walking down the stairs.<p>

"He's going to be heartbroken for a while, that's understandable. I just hope he lets us in when he needs help." I admitted.

"I'm sorry, Aria." Ezra said, as he grabbed my hand and led me to the couch. I sat down beside him, resting my head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, providing with a much-needed comfort.

"Are you okay?" Ezra asked quietly.

Was I okay? No, I wasn't. My family was breaking more and more and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. Before I knew it, everything was going to fall apart, and there would be nothing I could do to pick us back up again.

"No." I whispered, as I tried to blink back the tears that were forming in my eyes. "Mike was right. Our family is so screwed up."

"Aria, your family is not screwed up." He tried convincing me. "Your guys are dealing with a delicate situation now, and it's difficult because of all the pain going around. But eventually, Ella might forgive Byron." Ezra tried to convince me.

"She'll still be sick though." I said curtly.

"No one said she's not going to get better, Aria." Ezra reminded me.

He was right, but what were the chances of her cancer going into remission now? And what would happen then? She'd be in remission for a few years, then when it came back, would we be right back to where we were a few short months ago? No matter what anyone said, there seemed to be no way that this couldn't end badly. I only hoped that Ella had enough people behind her supporting her and helping her realize she had no choice but to defeat her cancer, that she would walk out of that hospital healthy, and soon.

Suddenly, I realized a terrifying thought.

"What if he tells her that I knew about it all this time? What am I supposed to do?" I whispered to Ezra. "She's never going to forgive me."

"I don't think he would do that." Ezra said. "He wouldn't hurt you that way."

I closed my eyes as I tried to block out the painful thoughts. I focused on the feeling of Ezra's arms wrapped around me.

However, my thoughts were immediately interrupted as I heard the front door opening. I opened my eyes to find Byron walking through the front door.

Ezra quickly moved his body away from mine as Byron slid off his shoes. I shot him a dirty glance. I really didn't care if my father had seen us in that position. I didn't care if it brought up questions or if he became suspicious of Ezra and I. _I really didn't care._

Both Ezra and I remained silent as Byron walked into the living room.

"What are you doing back here?" I finally spoke up.

Byron cleared his throat before answering. "Your mom… Your mom wanted to be alone."

"I can understand why." I nodded, waiting for him to pick up the sarcasm that was so clear in my voice.

Byron sighed heavily before sinking into an armchair across from Ezra and I.

"I think I'll be back home for a while, so I wanted to talk to you." Byron motioned towards Ezra. "I don't think there will be any reason for Aria to stay with you anymore. And besides, it seems more like you're staying with Aria rather than Aria's staying with you." He admitted, hinting to the fact that we were in my house instead of Ezra's apartment.

I gasped in shock at his words. He couldn't take Ezra away from me! Not now! Not now when I needed him more than ever! He couldn't be serious. "No, Dad, please!"

I turned to Ezra, who looked just as surprised as I did.

"Dad, please, let him stay!" I begged.

"Why?" Byron asked, confusion laced throughout his voice.

"B-because I want him to!" I pleaded.

Byron shook her head. "We have to deal with the issues at hand, and I don't think Ezra needs to get himself involved in the middle of this."

"Dad, please." I whispered. Why was Byron doing this? Hasn't he seen how much Ezra has helped me with this? How much he's supported me?

"Why do you even care? He only was here to stay with you while I was with Ella. I know the two of you are friends now, but you'll survive without him by your side." Byron said.

Ezra got up from the couch before speaking. "I hope Ella gets better soon."

Without another word, he left the house.

I watched him leave in complete disbelief. How could he do that? How could he just leave me like that? After all we've been through? He told me he loved me!

Tears began building up in my eyes as the fact that Ezra just got up and left painfully hit me. _He just left._

I shook my head at Byron, as I wiped away the tears that were escaping my eyes.

Before I could open my mouth to say another word, I heard Mike rushing down the stairs. As soon as he saw Byron, anger filled his expression.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Mike demanded.

"Excuse me? This is my house, in case you've forgotten." Byron snapped back.

"I don't care whose house this is-" Mike began, but Byron cut him off.

"Do _not _talk to me in that tone." He ordered.

"Why not?" Mike bit back. "All my respect for you disappeared as soon as I found out you _cheated on mom!" _

The hurt Byron was feeling was evident on his face, however, I couldn't bring myself to feel sorry for him. He brought this onto himself.

Mike shot Byron a nasty glare before heading towards the front door and leaving the house. He slammed the door shut behind him.

Without another word, I ran up the stairs to my room, trying to hold back tears.

As soon as I reached my bed, I collapsed onto it. Tears quickly fell from my eyes, as my body began shaking from how hard I was crying.

Was this it? Was everything between us over? Why hasn't he called me yet? Did he give up on us that easily?

Why was my family so messed up? Why was everything so broken?

I hadn't done anything to deserve this. Everything in my life just kept getting worse and worse. When Byron and Ella told me that Ella had cancer, I thought things couldn't get worse. But then I found out she had been lying to me for months, and everything fell apart. And now she knows about Byron's infidelity.

I spotted one of Ezra's t-shirts sitting on the edge of my bed. I quickly grabbed it and held it against my chest, letting the smell of his cologne fill my nose.

I already miss him. All I wanted in that moment was to be held in his arms. To be wrapped in his embrace. To feel his sweet kisses on the crown of my head.

I gently placed the shirt under my pillow before sitting up in bed. I wiped my tears away as I realized what I had to do.

I couldn't let this happen. I wasn't going to let Ezra be taken out of my life so easily.

I jumped off my bed and grabbed my keys from my dresser. I quietly closed the door to my room before tiptoeing through the hallway.

As I passed Byron's room, I saw Byron sitting on a chair near the window. In his hands was his and Ella's wedding album. As I looked closer, I could see that he was crying.

My father was crying.

I felt my heart breaking at the sight, but I knew that he had only brought that pain onto himself. It was no one's fault but his.

I shook my head in disappointment before continuing down the hall.

Mike still hadn't come back home. Where could he have gone though?

* * *

><p>I took a deep breath before knocking on the apartment door that I had come so close to calling home.<p>

Ezra answered the door a moment later. His look of exhaustion turned to that of confusion and shock as he saw me standing there.

"What are you doing here?" Ezra asked in surprise.

"Do you really believe that I'd let him tear us apart? Especially after everything we've been through?" I asked with a small smile on my face.

Ezra paused for a moment, before taking my hands in his and pulling my body closer to his.

He leaned down and our lips met in a gentle kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. His lips moved softly against mine as I sighed happily at the feeling of being held in his arms again.

There was no way Byron was going to take this away from me.

He broke the kiss a few moments later and rested his forehead against mine. "No matter who tried to break us up, whether its one of us or one of your family members, I can always count on you to show up on my doorstep to make everything okay again." Ezra chuckled.

I leaned up and pressed my lips against his for a moment, before whispering, "Of course you can."

Ezra pulled me into the apartment, closing the door behind him.

I bit my lip as I turned around to face him. "Mike left." I revealed.

A look of confusion crossed Ezra's face. "What are you talking about?"

I sighed before going over to his couch and sitting down. I brought my knees up to my chest before beginning to explain what had happened.

"Not long after you left, Mike appeared and yelled at Byron for breaking apart our family. They argued for a few moments, before Mike left. He just walked out of the house. And I have no idea where he is." I began, as tears began building up behind my eyes.

Ezra sat down beside me on the couch and pulled me into an embrace. "He'll come home eventually. Don't worry. You know he will."

"But I don't." I said fearfully. "I don't know where he is, or what's happening to him or anything."

"Did you try calling him?" Ezra asked.

"No, but I don't even know if he has his phone." I said.

Ezra grabbed his phone before dialing Mike's number.

"Hello?" He answered.

As soon as I heard a voice on the other end, I frantically grabbed the phone from Ezra's hand.

"Mike?" I asked desperately. "Where are you?"

"Just walking. I'm just trying to clear my head. And try to understand some of this chaos." He responded ruefully.

I moved the phone away from my ear for a moment and covered the mouthpiece.

"Would it be okay if Mike stays here with us tonight?" I asked nervously.

"Of course." Ezra nodded, understanding how delicate of a situation we were dealing with.

"Well I'm at Ezra's right now and I'm worried about you. I think I'm going to stay here tonight because I don't want to be around dad right now. Do you want to stay with us?" I asked hopefully.

I was met with silence on the other end of the phone.

"Mike?" I asked again.

Mike sighed heavily before answering. "Okay. But only because I don't want to see Dad right now. Text me the address?"

"I will. See you soon, Mike." I said, relief running through me knowing that Mike was okay. I hung up the phone and handed it back to Ezra.

"Thank you." I said, genuinely.

* * *

><p>"You know, I've gotten so used to sleeping in the same bed as you, that it's impossible for me to fall asleep without being in your arms." I admitted to Ezra, as I changed into a pair of shorts and one of his oversize t-shirts.<p>

"As hard as it might be to believe it, I toss and turn all night when I'm not with you." He smiled bashfully.

I took a few steps closer to him and laced our fingers together. "Mike will be here soon…" I began, as I moved my body closer to his. "So lets take advantage of the few moments we have left alone."

In one swift movement, Ezra had pulled me into a kiss. I smiled against his lips. It was as if he could never get tired of kissing me. I had to admit though; I could never get enough of him.

His lips left my mouth as he left a trail of kisses down my neck and collarbone. I moaned in pleasure at the feel of his hot mouth against my soft skin.

I tugged gently on the baby hairs at the nape of his neck, wanting his lips back on mine. I kissed him roughly, as his tongue met mine in a passionate battle for dominance. My arms wrapped around his neck as he held me tightly against him.

A knocking on the door interrupted our passionate moment. I broke away a moment later, breathing heavily.

I placed one last kiss on his lips before turning towards the door to let Mike in.

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><p><strong>I wasn't very satisfied with this chapter, however, I wanted to give you guys something since I haven't updated in a long time. I'm having pretty bad writer's block, so if any of you can help, it would be greatly appreciated.<strong>

**Hope you liked this, please review! **


	18. Chapter 18

**Thank you Rose, Guest, Guest, Prettylittlefan, Hannah, Lilia Harding, nightmares,and,dreamers, FearlessLove1386, obsessedwithezria, Notinyourlifetimehoney, Guest, hiding,my,heart, HarrylovesGinny09, Guest, foreverdream7, WWKMDbracelets, and Calypsana!**

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><p><span>Aria's POV<span>

"Mike." I exclaimed, as I threw my arms around his neck.

"Aria, calm down." Mike smirked as he hugged me back, before stepping away from me.

"Where's Dad?" He asked, his eyes darting across Ezra's apartment as he searched for our father.

"He's still at home." I assured him, as I sat down beside Ezra on the couch. "Where did you go?" I asked Mike, as he sat down on a chair across from Ezra and I.

"I was just walking around the block, trying to clear my head. I can't believe Dad would do something like this to Ella... To our family..." He said sadly.

Truth to be told, I couldn't believe it either. Ella and Byron had always seemed so happy together. In all of their wedding pictures, it was obvious that the two were deeply in love with each other.

"I don't know how Ella's dealing with this." I admitted." She's already struggling with all that's happened... She really didn't need to add this to her list of problems too."

"I-," Mike began, but was interrupted by a knock on Ezra's apartment door.

Ezra and I shared a nervous glance before Ezra got up to answer the door.

"I think that's Byron." I said quietly.

My suspicions were confirmed as Ezra opened the door to reveal my father standing anxiously on the other side. Why did he come here? I couldn't handle talking to him right now. None of us could.

"Are the kids here?" I heard Byron ask worriedly, peering around Ezra to get a view of the inside of the apartment.

Ezra stepped aside, revealing to Byron that Mike and I were inside.

"What are you guys doing here?" Byron asked desperately.

"Do you actually think I could stand being at home another minute and having to see your face?" Mike snapped furiously.

"Mike!" I cried, shocked at his words.

"Aria, it's okay." Byron sighed softly from the doorway of Ezra's apartment. "I deserve it."

"Yes, you do," I agreed angrily. "But right now we need to focus on Ella, not ourselves. Can you even imagine what you've put her through with this? Isn't she already in enough pain?" I reminded him. "She's been struggling with the physical and emotional pain of having cancer. She really didn't need any more emotional pain, especially from you! What if the stress makes her sicker than she already is?" I demanded. "We need to focus on helping her heal, we can't keep thinking only about ourselves."

The look of frustration of Byron's face softened slightly as he realized that my words were painfully true.

"So what do you think I can do to fix this?" Byron asked sadly.

"This is your marriage. Not mine. You need to figure that out for yourself. But let me remind you, Ella is the most important person here, not you." I said, hoping he understood exactly how much he has hurt Ella with his own selfish actions.

Byron remained silent for a moment, before taking one last glance around Ezra's apartment and walking out of the door.

Stillness dominated the apartment as Ezra, Mike, and I remained on Ezra's couch.

"What just happened?" Mike finally asked, breaking the silence.

"I don't even know." I replied honestly.

* * *

><p>"Where are you going?" I looked up from the book I was reading to see Mike grabbing his coat and putting his shoes back on.<p>

"It's getting late, I'd better head back to Dylan's, before his mother starts freaking out about me being out for so long." Mike smirked.

I quickly have him a hug, before letting him leave Ezra's apartment.

I slowly closed the door behind Mike, before turning around to face Ezra.

Wordlessly, he got up from the couch and walked over to me. His eyes searched mine, reading my every emotion like an open book.

Why did he care so much? Why would he willingly involve himself in the mess that was my family? The mess that was my life?

How different was his life before he met me? Before he fell in love with a teenage girl and before he involved himself in all the drama that was the Montgomery family?

Before he met me, he didn't have to worry about having to hide his relationship, or about making sure the girl who's mother was battling cancer, wasn't crying herself to sleep at night. He didn't have to take care of his colleague's teenage daughter.

"Aria..." Ezra said softly, lifting my chin up with two fingers so he could look me in the eyes once again. His eyes portrayed concern and worry, clearly unsure whether or not I was okay from what had happened only moments earlier.

I delicately traced his cheek with my fingers, loving the feeling of his stubble against my fingertips.

He leaned down to kiss me, and all my anxiety vanished with the touch of his lips against mine. He pulled my body closer to his, as our lips moved more aggressively against each other's. He felt so good. This felt so good. Having him with me, kissing him, being with him. I still did not understand how I had been so blessed as to meet such an incredible man. As painful as it is to realize it, if Ella hadn't gotten sick, I never would have met Ezra.

A tear escaped from my eyes as my thoughts began to change from being about Ezra, to being about Ella. Ezra pulled away as he felt my tears against his skin.

Without saying a word, he led me over to the couch as I wiped my tears away. I settled myself into his arms, resting my head against his chest as his arms wrapped around me, holding me securely in his embrace. He laced his fingers with mine, as I closed my eyes, wishing that the pain in my heart would disappear. But the pain was never going to go away. Years from now, if Ella's cancer was in remission, the memories of what is happening to her now will still be there. So much of the pain I'm feeling is memories. Some still to be made, because as much as I wish this were all over, this was only the beginning. Even if her cancer eventually went into remission, one day it was going to come back. It was never really going to be 'gone.'

I felt Ezra's thumb brush across my cheek, wiping away more of my tears.

"I'm so scared, Ezra." I whispered, as more tears fell from my eyes.

"I know you are, but this pain will end, and things will get better. You know that. It's not the end yet." He responded, his voice soft and soothing.

"It just hurts so much. I don't want to live my life like this anymore. I can't watch Ella go through any more pain. And now I have to see her, after she found out about Byron? I can't do this anymore, Ezra. I just can't do this."

"Yes, you can. You of all people can. Do you have any idea how strong you are?" Ezra said desperately, trying to help me understand.

"No... I'm not." I responded brokenly.

"Yes, you are. You've been through so much, and it's only made you stronger. You may not see it, but you have only allowed your past experiences to make you stronger, and I can't even begin to tell you how much I admire you for that." Ezra said sympathetically.

"But I don't feel any of that strength. I feel so weak. I feel helpless. I want to make things better, I want to help my family, I want to fix what's been broken, but I can't. I can't do anything at all." I told him.

"That's because it's completely out of your control. You're having a difficult time realizing that. None of this is your fault. You're doing the best you can, and I honestly think anyone else in your situation would have cracked by now." Ezra said truthfully.

"You've done all you can, Aria. The rest of this is not in your hands. Exactly what is supposed to happen is going to happen." Ezra said softly.

"I just... I miss her so much." More tears fell from my eyes as the words left my mouth.

"I know you do," Ezra affirmed. "But she's still here, Aria. You can still see her, and I'm sure she misses you more than you miss her." Ezra brushed a strand of hair away from my eyes.

There was no way Ella missed me more than I missed her.

"Impossible." I whispered, looking up at him with a small smile on my face.

* * *

><p>"No, I don't want to wake up." I groaned.<p>

"Come on, open your eyes."

"Five more minutes, Dad! Five more!"

"No more minutes. Open those eyes and look at me."

Suddenly, I realized that the voice urging me to wake up didn't belong to my father at all. Besides, I hadn't lived at home in weeks.

"Come on, look at me."

It took some effort, but I managed to open my eyes, a little. A blurred face entered my vision.

I blinked a few times and the face slowly came into focus. A man's face.

"That's it. The most beautiful hazel eyes I've ever seen."

"Ezra," I whispered, smiling up at him.

He leaned down and pressed his lips against mine. I kissed him back softly, as I pulled his body closer to mine. The only thing on my mind was the feeling of his lips against mine and the incredible aroma of his aftershave. After a few moments, Ezra pulled away with a small smile on his face.

"Come on, let's go see Ella." Ezra grabbed my hand and pulled me out of his bed.

"Okay, okay, give me ten minutes to get ready." I begged, as I pulled a spare outfit I had left here earlier from one of Ezra's drawers. I hurriedly threw my hair into a ponytail and did my make up, before leading Ezra out the door.

Half an hour later, we had arrived at the hospital. I hadn't seen Ella since Byron had told her about his infidelity, so I was both anxious and nervous to see her.

"Are you alright?" Ezra asked, sensing my anxiety as we walked down the halls of the hospital. He took my hand in his and squeezed it tightly, as if reassuring me that he was here for me.

"Y-yeah." I looked up at him uneasily. I took a deep breath before walking into Ella's hospital room, with Ezra right behind me.

The amount of flowers in the room had certainly decreased, and the curtains were closed, blocking out any and all possible sunlight. A 'Get Well Soon' balloon hovered slightly above the floor, and any items of Byron's that had previously been scattered throughout the room had now disappeared.

I slowly tore my eyes away from the room in front of me to see my mother. Ella sat in her bed with an open book perched on her lap.

There were dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn't slept in weeks. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, but the weak strands gave confirmation that her hair was quickly thinning. A prescription bottle for nausea sat on the table beside her bed, along with a notebook, a vase of flowers, and a bottle of water.

"Aria," Ella said, finally realizing that I had entered the room.

"Mom," I said brokenly, as I sat down beside her on her hospital bed and embraced her tightly in a hug. She ran her fingers lightly through my hair for a moment before kissing the top of my head and letting me go.

"Are you okay?" I asked worriedly, noting how much she's changed since she learned the news.

"No, I'm not." She took a deep breath. It was obvious that she was trying to hold back tears. "I'm not okay at all, but that's understandable, right? I'm trying, Aria, but there's only so much I can do for myself with all of this."

I felt so bad for her. I just wanted to take her pain away. Ella was hurting so much, but she was keeping herself together to protect Mike and I. She didn't want us to see how much she was hurting. Her own body was failing her, and the stress put onto her because of Byron only made things worse.

Ella took my hand in hers; grasping mine as an assurance that she was going to do everything she could to get through this. I looked down at our hands and couldn't help but notice that her ring was missing. She had taken it off.

"Mom, where's your ring?"

As I looked up at her, my eyes were met with depression, loneliness, and pain.

She was hurting more than anyone would ever know. She didn't want Byron staying with her for the time being, yet she was too unwell to take care of herself! Each day seemed to be getting harder and harder for her, and I was unsure how much more of this she was going to be able to handle! How long was it going to be before she broke completely? Before the stress of everything she is going through caught up to her?

"I can't handle wearing it right now. Byron took it home and it's in a safe place." She said sadly.

"I'm sorry, mom." I whispered.

She closed her eyes for a moment before giving me a small smile. "Don't be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong."

I turned away from her without another word, afraid that she would see the guilt in my eyes. Was I supposed to tell her that I had known about Byron and Merideth? Did she know who Byron cheated on her with? What had Byron told her?

What was she going to say if she found out that I've known about this since the beginning? Was she going to be angry with me for keeping this from her? The reason I kept it from her was because I didn't want to see her get hurt!

"How are you two doing?" Ella asked, changing the topic of the conversation to Ezra and I.

"We're fine, mom." I said with concern laced throughout my voice at how quickly she changed the subject.

"Have you seen Mike?" Ella asked.

"We saw him the other day." Ezra informed her. He glanced at me for a moment before turning back to Ezra. "I was actually thinking of taking him out and doing something with just the two of us, you know, to help get his mind off of things."

"Why didn't I know about this?" I demanded playfully, crossing my arms across my chest and looking at him with a playful glint in my eyes.

"I think it would be a fantastic idea." Ella replied, encouraging Ezra's idea. "Mike could really use some male bonding time."

"I guess that means that we're going to have to have a girl's day." I smirked, as I began coming up with countless things Ella and I could do together.

* * *

><p>Ella and I laughed along at Aria's scheming for a moment. The smile on Ella's face was genuine, and for a moment, she was able to smile again. However, as the laughter died down, a look of hurt and worry appeared on her face.<p>

"I'm starving." Aria suddenly said, as she turned to me. "Come downstairs to the cafeteria with me to find something to eat?"

I smiled and followed her out of the room, unable to say no to her begging, and glad that Ella was going to be able to have a minute alone.

"We'll be back!" Aria shouted, letting Ella know that we weren't leaving.

Aria took my hand in hers as we began to make our way downstairs. I reached into my pocket to check the time on my phone, but was met with an empty pocket.

"I think I left my phone in Ella's room. Go get yourself food and I'll meet you down there in a minute, okay?"

Aria nodded before making her way towards the elevator. As I made my way back to Ella's room, I couldn't help but worry about the look I had seen on her face before Aria and I had left the room. It was obvious that she was struggling with this. She doesn't have her husband to help her through this because he is one of the reasons she is hurting. Her children can't help her because as a mother, she probably does not think it would be right to depend on her children.

As I neared her room, I could her someone crying softly on the other side. It couldn't be anyone other than Ella.

I wanted to help her. I wanted to do something to help her. To help her realize that none of this is her fault. To help her realize that the pain she's feeling will eventually go away. When Aria sees Ella hurting, it destroys her on the inside. I couldn't let Aria go through any more of this hurt. Ella needed to realize how many people were here for her. She needed to realize that she is stronger than any obstacle. She needed to realize that she had no choice in this battle but to get better, because her children were depending on her. I was depending on her.

I glanced inside Ella's room to find that Ella had moved to a chair beside the window. She was staring out into the city, but the light reflecting on her face showed the tears that were streaking down her face.

I felt so helpless.

As I pushed open her door, Ella jumped at the sound of the sudden intrusion. She quickly wiped her tears away and straightened her hospital gown as she stood up from the chair.

"Ezra, what's wrong? I thought you were going downstairs with Aria." She said, as she sat down on the edge of her bed.

"I'm fine." She said quickly. "Why aren't you with Aria?"

"Ella, I know you aren't okay. I saw crying a few minutes ago." I sat down beside her on the bed.

Ella closed her eyes for a moment as a few tears escaped from her eyes. "Well Ezra, not only are my days left numbered, but I also just found out that my husband cheated on me. I don't know if anyone handling this would be 'okay.' "

"I'm so sorry that you have to deal with all of this, Ella." I said softly.

"I just don't know how to do this anymore. Everyone keeps telling me to stay strong and that I can get through all of this… But I'm just not so sure anymore." She confessed, as she got up from the bed and stood next to the window.

"I haven't touched my hair once since I've been here. It's always in this ponytail, except when the nurses wash it for me. I'm afraid to even look in the mirror, because then I'll see how much I've changed from the cancer and the chemo. I don't want to see how much my hair has thinned since I've been admitted here. I don't want to see how much weight I've lost, or how dark the circles under my eyes are because of a lack of sleep. I just don't want to do this anymore." She whispered, as tears began to fall down her cheeks once again. "I just want to leave. I've been confined to the walls of this room for weeks, Ezra."

Without a word, I embraced her in a much-needed hug. I had begun to care for Ella more than I thought I would, and it pained me to see someone who had become like a mother figure to me, hurting so much.

"It just so lonely here." She whispered against my shoulder.

"I know." I said softly, as sadness washed over me for Ella and how much she was struggling.

She pulled away from me a few moments later and wiped her tears away with her fingertips. She sat back down on the edge of her bed before speaking again.

"I don't know how to trust him anymore. How do I know that he isn't with her right now?" She asked brokenly.

It took me a moment, but I quickly realize that she was talking about Byron.

"Ella, this happened over a year ago. I don't think that she meant anything to him. It was just a one time thing." I said, hoping she understood that this was all part of the past.

"Do you know who she was?" Ella asked.

"Yeah, I do." I admitted, after a few moments of silence. "Aria told me."

"Who was it?" Ella asked nervously, biting her lip in anticipation.

"It's not my place to tell you. I'm sorry, Ella." I said.

I was already in the middle of this mess, and I really didn't want to involve myself more.

Ella walked back over to her bed and sat down on top of it. "I think you'd better go." She stated. "Aria's probably wondering where you are."

I nodded and grabbed my phone off the table I had left it on across from her bed.

"I'm sorry about… Everything. I hope you feel better." I said softly.

"Thanks, Ezra." She replied, as I walked out of the room in search for Aria.

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><p><strong>I know it's not very long, but a lot happens in the next chapter! I'm so sorry that it's taken me so long to update, but I'll try to get the next chapter up in the next few weeks! Hope you liked it, and PLEASE REVIEW! More reviews equal faster update! <strong>


	19. Chapter 19

**Sorry for the absolutely insane wait! Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy! **

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><p>When Ezra and I arrived back at Ella's room, I was surprised to find Ella sleeping soundlessly.<p>

I glanced at Ezra as I retrieved my purse from the other side of the room, before moving to Ella's bedside.

"We'll be back tomorrow." I whispered to her, even though she was fast asleep.

I was thankful that she was even able to sleep. At least while she was asleep, she was given a short break from the turn of events in her life.

"I love you," I whispered softly; as I leaned down to kiss her cheek.

I wiped a stray tear from my eyes that I hadn't realized had fallen, before turning back to Ezra.

He looked at me sympathetically, before taking my hand and leading me out of the room.

I closed Ella's hospital room door quietly behind us, before I looked up at Ezra.

Without a word, he embraced me into a much-needed hug. His arms held my petite body tightly against his stronger one, as I tried so hard to fight back the tears that were threatening to fall from my eyes.

I knew that I needed to stay strong for Ella's sake. I needed her to believe that I was strong enough to handle everything she was going through.

I wished so badly that I could turn to Byron for comfort. I knew that he would be able to help me stay strong for Ella. I knew that he would remind me just how much Ella needs our strength right now, and that we had to stay positive, and be hopeful that everything was going to work out for the best.

I just didn't know how to forgive him. I didn't know if I could ever forgive him.

I moved away from Ezra's embrace a few moments later, immediately missing the feeling of his body against mine.

He took my hand in his and began to lead me out of the hospital, however, we were stopped in our tracks as the hospital's main doors opened to reveal an abundance of heavy rain and thunderstorms.

Ezra sighed deeply, before turning to me. "My apartment is a lot further than your house. Do you want to just crash there for the night?"

"Sure." I smiled, as I looked up at him.

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><p><em>Dear Momma,<em>

_I'm sorry. I'm sorry for keeping that secret from you. I'm so sorry that I've hurt you. I'm sorry that our family is so broken. I wish I could be there for you in a way that Byron can, but I can't. I don't know what I'm going to do if our family continues to fall apart._

_I don't know how to stay strong for you anymore. I want to. I want to so badly. I want to keep reminding myself that things will get better, that everything will work out for the best. But it's just so hard. I don't know how much more of this that I can handle. You've been in the hospital for over two months now, and I don't know what to do anymore._

_I wish you could come home Mom. I miss you more than you'll ever know. I promise to come back and visit you soon._

_I can't wait for the day you come back home and our family is back together where we belong._

_Love always,_

_Aria _

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><p>I tried to fight back tears as I walked around the living room, removing the family pictures from their places off of the wall.<p>

"What are you doing?" Ezra asked, as he picked a picture up off of the coffee table.

"Putting these away." I said, as I continued taking family pictures off of the mantel.

"They're just another reminder that our family is never going back to how we once were and to be honest, I don't really think I can handle that right now." I bit my lip as I picked up a photo of Ella and Byron holding me as a newborn. They looked like the happiest couple in the world, as they showed off their new addition to the family. But that was long before Byron cheated. Before he ruined everything. The sparkle in Ella and Byron's eyes was one that I hadn't seen outside of pictures.

As I continued gathering up pictures, Ezra watched me silently. He looked like he was contemplating something, but I didn't bother to ask what.

I grabbed an empty, old, box from the garage that would fit into the closet.

When I came back into the living room, however, Ezra was gone.

As I picked up Byron and Ella's wedding picture, I couldn't stop the tears from forming in my eyes.

They were once such a happy couple. Ella probably never expected that Byron would break the vows he made to her on that special day. Byron probably never expected that he would break them either. With his student nonetheless.

How could he ruin our family like this?

I couldn't handle it anymore. I didn't know what I had done to deserve this. I didn't know what Ella did to deserve this. Why was my family so broken? Why did everything have to be so screwed up?

After Ali and I caught Byron cheating on Ella, and he forced me to keep quiet about it, I didn't think my life could get anymore screwed up. But then Ali was murdered, and I was left without one of my best friends, questioning how the world could be so cruel. And then, as if things couldn't get any worse, I found out Ella had cancer. A disease. A brutal, deadly, disease.

And to top it all off, I had fallen in love with the man who was supposed to be "babysitting" me.

My life couldn't have gotten more screwed up.

I didn't realize that tears were falling from my eyes or that my hands were shaking violently until the wedding picture in my hands fell to the floor and shattered.

I gasped loudly as the tears fell harder at the sight of the broken glass covering the smiling faces of my parents.

It was as if it were reminding me that even though they were once so happy, now they were broken. And they were never going to get back the love that they once had.

I sunk to the floor in tears as I buried my head in my knees. I felt so helpless.

What was the point in trying to fight through this anymore? This pain, this misery, it was just too much. It was all just too much.

"Aria?" I heard Ezra's voice coming from across the room.

I lifted my head from my knees, revealing my mascara stained cheeks.

"Aria," Ezra said brokenly, as he quickly made his way over to me, avoiding the broken glass. He gathered me into his arms before leading me to the couch, where I curled up against his chest and cried into his shirt, not caring that my mascara was leaving marks all over it.

He kissed the top of my head as he held me close against him, rubbing soothing circles on my back.

I really didn't want to do this anymore. I didn't know if I could do this anymore.

I closed my eyes as I inhaled the smell of Ezra's cologne. He ran his fingers softly through my hair, keeping his other arm wrapped tightly around me.

I felt safe in his arms.

For the first time in a very long time, I felt hope.

I knew that if I kept my head up, and my thoughts positive, then Ella would be okay. Our family would be okay. We had already been through so much, and it's only bonded our family closer together.

Why should this situation be the reason our family falls apart forever?

I tilted my head up from Ezra's chest, to look at him.

His eyes were full of care and concern.

"I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to see me like this all the time." I whispered, as I wiped my tears away.

"I promised to take care of you, Aria. I'm not going back on that promise." Ezra said softly, as he wiped away a stray tear that I had missed. "You know that I'll always be here for you."

"I love knowing that," I said tenderly, before closing the small gap between our mouths and kissing him softly.

His fingers traced my cheek delicately as he kissed me back gently, reminding me that he loved me.

* * *

><p><em>Momma,<em>

_I never really understood things like fate, until now._

_Ezra's absolutely amazing. He's done so much for me and I wouldn't have been able to get through this without him by my side. He cares so much about me, and I can tell that it hurts him to see me hurting so much._

_Please don't be mad. I don't know how to say this, but I have to tell you._

_I love Ezra. I've fallen in love with him. And I don't know what to do._

_He's helped me get through so much and he's helped me find the strength to stay strong throughout all of this._

_He helped Mike when Mike was in a hopeless place._

_I think Dad suspects something. He saw Ezra and I too comfortable together the other day, and the way he was looking at us makes me wonder what he's thinking about us._

_I know that if Dad finds out that my relationship with Ezra is more than just "friends," he'll send Ezra away. And I can't handle that. I wouldn't be able to get through that._

_I need him, Mom. I need him to help me through this. I can't do this alone. I can't watch you go through this pain and misery._

_If I ever find the courage to actually give you these letters, please understand what's been happening on our side of the situation. I've been living with Ezra for months, and I really, really, like being with him._

_He understands me in a way that no one else ever has. He's been there for me, and most importantly, he loves me._

_Please don't be mad. Especially at Ezra. Please. Neither of us would have ever expected to need each other so much. Please Mom. Don't do anything to hurt him when you find out about us. Please, for me. Don't hurt Ezra._

_I love you so much, Mom._

_Your baby girl_

* * *

><p>"I'll come visit you tomorrow, okay?" I pulled away from Ella's embrace and stood up to grab my purse, as I got ready to leave the hospital.<p>

"Aria?" Ella asked hesitantly, looking up at me funnily.

"Hmm?" I asked, as I turned back towards my mother.

"How are you doing, really? It's no use trying to lie, I'm your mother, I can read you better than anyone."

I sighed deeply as I sat back down onto her bed. I set my purse back down onto the table beside Ella as I turned to her, unsure of what to say.

What did she want to hear? Did she want to know how much all of this was affecting me? Did she want to know that Ezra and I had found Mike in the bathroom with a bottle of pills in the middle of the night? Did she want to know that I had fallen in love with the person who was 'babysitting' me?

No. She didn't want to know any of that.

"I mean, it's hard, obviously. So much has happened so fast. I definitely miss how our family used to be, happy, healthy, and together all the time… But there's nothing we can do about it now. You just need to focus on getting better. Don't worry about the rest of us, okay?" I assured her.

It was the truth. She needed to focus on herself. If she spent too much of her time and energy worrying about everyone else, she was never going to get out of here.

"You realize that you're telling your mother not to worry about her family, right? That's next to impossible." Ella smiled softly.

"I'll see you soon." I said lovingly, giving Ella one last smile, before leaving the room.

I spotted Ezra at the end of the hallway. As soon as he saw me, he smiled and took my arm in his.

"You ready?" He asked, as he led me towards the elevator.

"Yeah," I nodded tiredly, anxious to get home and crawl into my big, warm, bed.

The car ride home was filled with a comfortable silence. Ezra's hand was intertwined with mine, resting on my thigh, as I closed my eyes and leaned against the window. I couldn't help but realize that his hand fit absolutely perfect in mine.

Had Mike recognized anything strange between Ezra and I? Had he begun to become suspicious about the relationship between the two of us? He had seen us together a couple times, but from what I had remembered, Ezra and I had been discreet enough around Mike to not reveal our relationship.

I couldn't even imagine what was going to happen when Byron and Ella found out about Ezra and I. Byron was never going to forgive Ezra.

I reached for my purse beside my feet, but was only met with empty space.

"Crap." I said, loudly.

"What's wrong?" Ezra asked, glancing at me worriedly.

I turned around to look in the back seat, but once again, was only met with empty space.

"I left my purse in Ella's room!" I said frantically.

"Do you want to turn back and get it right now, or can it wait until tomorrow?" Ezra asked, referring to the fact that he was driving in a storm.

"We need to go back. There are things in there that she can't see!" I said, as anxiety rushed through my body at the thought of what might happen in the next few moments. "For one, there's texts on my phone from you, saying that you love me!" I reminded him, as I tried so hard not to completely lose it.

Oh my God. I hoped to God that Ella didn't touch my bag. Her letters were in there – the ones she wasn't supposed to see! My phone is in there filled with texts from Ezra, which are proof that our relationship is much stronger than just friends!

Oh my God, oh my God. Disaster was going to strike if she opens my purse!

"If she finds out about us," I began, my voice shaking just as violently as the rest of my body, "I'm never going to see you again, and my dad will kill both of us. And then he'll kill you again."

I looked at Ezra to see that his face mirrored the terror and anxiety I felt. He was just as afraid as I was.

As soon as we reached the hospital parking lot, I jumped out of the car, barely even giving Ezra a chance to stop, before I ran towards the doors to the main entrance of the hospital.

Without even a second glance towards the receptionist, who gave me a puzzled look, I ran towards the stairs and sprinted towards Ella's room.

"Mom!" I cried, as I pulled the door open.

I gasped loudly at the sight that greeted me.

* * *

><p><strong>Ella's POV<strong>

"Bye Aria," I whispered, as she left the room. "Stay safe… I love you."

I watched from the window in the door as my little girl walked away from my room.

When she saw Ezra, she took his arm in his as they walked out of the hospital together.

I was glad that they were getting along well. I would have been really concerned if Aria hadn't liked him. There weren't many other people that were willing to stay with Aria while Byron stayed with me in the hospital. I was really glad that we had found Aria someone like Ezra to stay with. It was obvious that he was helping her get through all of this.

Where was Byron? I had to admit, that even though I was furious with him, I still missed him.

It was so lonely. Being stuck all alone in this room. I missed the outside world. I missed driving Mike to lacrosse practice, getting pedicures with Aria, going out to dinner with Byron, family game nights and movie nights where we'd all squish together on the couch only to be beat by Mike at Monopoly. I missed my family.

I didn't know how much longer I was going to have to stay here.

I needed Byron with me. I couldn't handle even looking at him, but realistically, I needed him here with me.

We needed to find a way to sort through this problem. I needed to know what this woman really means to him.

I hadn't seen him in days. Where was he? What was he doing? Who was he with?

I knew what I needed to do.

As I looked around my room for my phone, I saw Aria's purse sitting in the corner of the room.

How could she have forgotten it here? Her purse is always glued to her side.

I got up out of the bed to grab Aria's purse so I could call Ezra to come back and get it for her.

I moaned slightly in pain as I set her bag onto the bed and positioned my body back under the covers.

I dumped the contents of her purse out onto my bed, too tired to go searching through the huge back for her tiny phone.

Packs of gum, jewelry, receipts, pens, a mirror, her keys, her wallet, and a notebook, were scattered throughout the bed. Yet her phone was nowhere in the pile of mess.

I searched through the side pockets and pulled out Aria's phone.

Crap. I needed to call Ezra to let him know that Aria forgot her stuff here.

I reached for my phone beside me on the bedside table to find a new message from Ezra.

**Ella,**

**Aria left her purse in your room. We'll be back in a little bit to get it.**

**Ezra**

Well that was easy enough. I began putting Aria's belongings back into her bag, however, when I picked up her notebook, I was filled with curiosity. I knew Aria was a writer, she wrote about everything in her life.

As a little bit of guilt surged through my veins, I opened the book up to the first page and began reading.

_Dear Momma,_

_Do you know how much it hurts? Seeing you in this kind of pain? I love you so much and it's crushing me to see you like this. I can't tell you because I know it will hurt you._

I took a deep breath at the words I had just read. Tears were falling quickly from my eyes at Aria's words in the journal. What had I just found? What was this?

If she finds out that I'm reading this, I don't even know what will happen.

I knew Aria was struggling with this situation, staying strong was inevitable for any of us. But the mask she wore was so thick, that I had never seen her display any ounce of vulnerability. I shook my head as more tears fell from my eyes. I had only read a few sentences, yet I was already nervous to read the rest.

_I'm scared. I can't imagine what my life will be like if I lose you. I need you. And now, when I'm hurting the most, I can't come to you for help, because you're hurting more than me._

_Seeing you yesterday was one of the hardest things I've ever witnessed._

_Honestly, I'm scared to come back to the hospital because I don't want to hear any more bad news._

_There's so much you don't know. Dad's keeping something from you. Something big. And I know about it. It's killing me to have to keep this from you. If I tell you, you'll get hurt. If I don't, you'll get hurt when you eventually find out. It's a lose-lose situation. I don't know what to do. I don't want to hurt you, but you have a right to know._

_Ezra's been so great to me. He's so sweet and he understands everything our family is going through. He didn't even judge Dad when I told Ezra about what Dad did to you. God, Ella, you can't find out. You'll be crushed. I have to protect you. I can't let you find out._

_All my love, _

_Your little girl_

Tears were falling rapidly from my eyes as I finished the first letter.

Aria knew? She knew about Byron's infidelity the whole time? How hard had it been for her to have to keep that secret from me, every day? How could Byron use our daughter like that? How could Byron be so cruel? How could he hurt our family this way?

I took a deep breath as I blinked rapidly, trying to stop the tears from falling so quickly.

I flipped the page and began to read the next letter.

_Ella,_

_Please. Please get better. I want you to come home. I don't want to do this anymore. I can't do this anymore. I can't be around Ezra anymore. He's... God I don't know what he is! That kiss changed everything between us. If he hadn't kissed me back, then I would have understood his reason for running away, but he did! And it felt so wonderful, mom, as if his lips were meant to be kissing mine and mine only. At least he doesn't have a girlfriend, but Dad would never forgive him if he found out Ezra had kissed me._

_I'm feeling things for him that I shouldn't be. I know I should only look at him as Dad's colleague, but I can't help it. I've never met anyone like him before. He loves English and all of the classics, he's so caring and he always knows the right words to say. The way he talks to me and reassures me that you're going to get better shows that he genuinely cares. That I'm not just another teenager girl._

_I don't know what to do, Mom. I need your help. I need you to get better._

_Ezra told me that you've started chemo. Once he said those words, it finally struck me how serious this is. How sick you really are._

_Mom, there's a chance that you won't make it out of this alive. I can't lose you. Mom, you're a fighter. You need to fight this. You need to get better. Please. For me. Get better._

I set down the letter in shock, as I tried to take deep breaths, hoping it would steady my rapid heartbeat. What the hell was going on between Aria and Ezra?

How could Aria kiss him? He's so much older than her! He's supposed to be taking care of my daughter, not making out with her! God, who knows what they were doing together!

How could Aria be so irresponsible? How could Ezra betray Byron and my trust so easily? How could this have happened?

From the beginning, Ezra seemed like the perfect person to watch over Aria. I knew he wouldn't treat her as a child, he would help her when she needed it, and he had seemed like a nice and sensible man. But if I had known from the beginning that he would end up in a relationship with my daughter, I never would have let that man into my house!

When had this started? How long has this been going on? When had Aria begun to have feelings for her babysitter?

I needed to set things straight between them.

This was not okay. Ezra was not allowed to do anything to or with my daughter.

I hesitated for a moment before turning the page to read the next letter. Did I really want to keep reading?

_Dear Momma,_

_I'm so sorry that I haven't been visiting you as often lately. I'm just too scared to go back. Every time I see you, something bad happens to you. I hate seeing you in so much pain. But what about you? How do you deal with this? Knowing you have cancer, not being with Mike and I as often as before, how are you making it through each day? Isn't it lonely all alone at the hospital? At least Byron's there for you now, when you need him the most… But you're going to push him away once you find out. Please mom, when you find out, don't push him away. Don't let him stop taking care of you. Don't let him leave you. Don't make him leave you. He doesn't deserve you, but I can't be there for you as much as you would need me to be if he leaves. I'm so sorry mom, I just can't. I can't handle seeing you hurting so much. If you knew how hard it was seeing you like this, you would understand._

_I love you so much._

_Always, _

_Aria_

It was as if my daughter knew exactly what I would do when I found out about Byron's infidelity. Of course I would push him away. But she was right. Now was when I needed him the most.

I couldn't believe what I was reading. Aria was struggling so much with this yet never said a word about it to me.

Although I definitely didn't accept what I had found out so far about her relationship with Ezra, I secretly was hoping that she was revealing her struggles with him. At the very least, I wanted him to help her get through this.

I took another deep breath before turning to the next letter.

_Ella, _

_I can't believe what he's done. But I can't believe what everyone else is doing either! Ezra told me how long you've really had cancer. How could you keep something like this from me? Why wouldn't you tell me? When you first told Mike how long you've known you had cancer, you told us that you've only known for about a week! Why would you lie to me mom?_

_It hurts. Everything happening to this family is because of all the lies. Everyone is lying to each other. Ezra and I are lying to you guys. Mike is lying to me. Byron's lying to you and Mike. And you've been lying to me._

_Please mom, don't you trust me? Don't you care about me at all? Why won't you just tell me how sick you are? Don't you realize it will hurt less if you tell me first, instead of me figuring it out later from someone else? From Ezra?_

_I'm sorry that I'm lying to you. But I'm lying to you to make sure you don't get hurt. You have no good reason to be lying to me about your cancer. Because it's only going to get worse! Don't you see that? You haven't gotten any better since being diagnosed! Only worse! You're not going to get better mom. I need you to be honest with me. I can't handle any more of these lies._

_Please mom. I love you. It hurts so much to watch you going through all of this, but it hurts more to know that everything you're telling me is a lie._

_I can't do this anymore. I just can't._

_I love you, but I wish you would be honest with me. Is that so much to ask for?_

_Aria_

How could Ezra tell her? He promised to stay quiet about how long I've had cancer, and he went back on his promise! What kind of man did we leave to stay with our daughter? How could we have been so foolish?

Aria was right. Everything that has happened to destroy our family was because of all the lies.

I set the journal down for a moment beside me as I wiped away my tears. My family was broken. We were destroyed. It killed me to think that there was nothing I could do to put us back together again. Because I was constricted to a hospital bed on the other side of town, sick with a deadly disease.

How could this have happened to me? How could my life crumble so quickly before my eyes?

Before Alison was killed, my life was perfect. But then my daughter's best friend was murdered, we spent a year abroad in Iceland where our lives were perfect. But then, when we came back home, everything fell apart. Everything fell apart so fast. And I couldn't keep us together.

I wiped away a stray tear as I glanced back at Aria's letter.

The secret Aria and Ezra were keeping from us… Was that about the fact that they had kissed? What the hell was going on between my daughter and that man? How did either of them think that this was okay? Was Ezra doing something to Aria to make her be with him? Had I made the biggest mistake of my life in letting Aria stay with Ezra?

_Dear Ella, _

_I'm so sorry that I had to keep that from you. The look of heartbreak on your face when Byron told you just shattered me. I wish there was something I could do to make it better. I can't even imagine how much you're hurting right now. Not only are you in physical pain, but now you're in emotional pain as well._

_I know Byron hurt you, but I hope that in time you'll be able to forgive him. Please try to give him a second chance, Ella. I know it hurts, trust me, I was in shock when I found out. But we can't let our family fall apart. We need each other now, more than ever. You need Byron. I know you probably don't want anything to do with him now, but you need him. You probably don't want to admit it to yourself, but you know it's true. You're dealing with much more than just Byron's infidelity. You're dealing with your cancer, and whatever else is happening to you that I don't know about. Loneliness? Pain? Depression?_

_Mom, whatever it is, I know that you're strong enough to get through it all. You're strong enough to get through this. You know you are._

_I keep reading articles and researching medical websites. I want to know what's going to happen with you. I want to know what to expect. I want to be ready when something happens. But I've only learned one thing from all the articles and websites I've found: that none of this can end well. No, not can. I mean that none of this will end well._

_Everything I read is a story about how someone lost a loved one to cancer. Or how life was normal before the family lost everything because of one parents' cancer._

_Our lives will never be the same again._

_If you don't make it through this, I don't know how I'm going to keep living my life. I can't go on without you. I need you. I need you, mom._

_Who's going to support me when I'm struggling? Who's going to help me when I don't understand my homework? Who am I going to talk to when I have to make a hard decision? Mom, I need you._

_I miss you so much. I just want you to come home so we can go back to being a normal family again._

_Get better soon._

_Love you always,_

_Aria_

My daughter was right. I was lonely. I was afraid. And I was hurting. More than anyone would ever know. But I couldn't let her know that.

I do need my family right now. I need their love and support. I can't make it through this by myself. As much as I wish I could, I needed them by my side.

I really needed to call Byron.

There were two more letters left. I wiped away my tears before turning back to the journal.

_Dear Momma, _

_I'm sorry. I'm sorry for keeping that secret from you. I'm so sorry that I've hurt you. I'm sorry that our family is so broken. I wish I could be there for you in a way that Byron can, but I can't. I don't know what I'm going to do if our family continues to fall apart._

_I don't know how to stay strong for you anymore. I want to. I want to so badly. I want to keep reminding myself that things will get better, that everything will work out for the best. But it's just so hard. I don't know how much more of this that I can handle. You've been in the hospital for over two months now, and I don't know what to do anymore._

_I wish you could come home Mom. I miss you more than you'll ever know. I promise to come back and visit you soon._

_I can't wait for the day you come back home and our family is back together where we belong._

_Love always,_

_Aria_

I wished I could reassure her that our family wouldn't fall apart. That everything was going to be okay. Yet those words would only be empty promises.

I felt as if I'd failed as a mother. I was supposed to protect my children, yet they were hurting more than I'd ever know. To make matters worse, I was the reason that they were hurting. It was my fault.

If I hadn't gotten sick, none of this would have happened! Aria never would have met Ezra, and whatever the hell was going on between the two of them never would have started, Byron and I wouldn't be in such a rocky place, and we'd be together as a family, the way a family is supposed to be!

Would Byron have told me about his infidelity if I hadn't gotten sick? I still couldn't believe he could use our daughter to keep this secret from me. What had gone through his mind to think that that was okay?

And Ezra… How was I ever going to trust him again? He needed to leave. I was not going to allow him to stay with Aria anymore. This needed to end.

_Momma, _

_I never really understood things like fate, until now._

_Ezra's absolutely amazing. He's done so much for me and I wouldn't have been able to get through this without him by my side. He cares so much about me, and I can tell that it hurts him to see me hurting so much._

_Please don't be mad. I don't know how to say this, but I have to tell you._

_I love Ezra. I've fallen in love with him. And I don't know what to do._

_He's helped me get through so much and he's helped me find the strength to stay strong throughout all of this._

_He helped Mike when Mike was in a hopeless place._

_I think Dad suspects something. He saw Ezra and I too comfortable together the other day, and the way he was looking at us makes me wonder what he's thinking about us._

_I know that if Dad finds out that my relationship with Ezra is more than just "friends," he'll send Ezra away. And I can't handle that. I wouldn't be able to get through that._

_I need him, Mom. I need him to help me through this. I can't do this alone. I can't watch you go through this pain and misery._

_If I ever find the courage to actually give you these letters, please understand what's been happening on our side of the situation. I've been living with Ezra for months, and I really, really, like being with him._

_He understands me in a way that no one else ever has. He's been there for me and most importantly, he loves me._

_Please don't be mad. Especially at Ezra. Please. Neither of us would have ever expected to need each other so much. Please Mom. Don't do anything to hurt him when you find out about us. Please, for me. Don't hurt Ezra._

_I love you so much, Mom._

_Your baby girl_

I set the last letter down in shock. My hands were shaking violently as I tried to steady my rapid breathing.

Aria had fallen in love with Ezra? How the hell had this happened?

How could the two of them have let their relationship come to this?

I couldn't believe this. How could this have happened? How could Byron and I have missed it? How did we not see the signs?

Aria had become way too comfortable around Ezra, their hugs always seemed intimate, and when I watched the two of them talk together, I almost felt as if I was interrupting something special between the two of them.

The more I thought about the two of them together, the more angry and confused I became. How could this have happened? I just didn't understand!

"Mom!"

I was pulled out of my thoughts as I looked up to see Aria standing at the door, fear and panic evident all over her face as she saw her journal lying open in my hands.

As our eyes met, I knew that behind my tears, my eyes only portrayed anger, betrayal, and confusion.

"How could you?" I asked my daughter, in disbelief, as I wiped away the last few tears that had fallen from my eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Hope you liked it! Please review! If I get a lot of reviews, I promise I'll update before the finale! **


	20. Chapter 20

_I set the last letter down in shock. My hands were shaking violently as I tried to steady my rapid breathing._

_Aria had fallen in love with Ezra? How the hell had this happened?_

_How could the two of them let their relationship come to this?_

_I couldn't believe this. How could Byron and I have missed it? How did we not see the signs?_

_Aria had become way too comfortable around Ezra, their hugs always seemed intimate, and when I was watching the two talk together, I almost felt as if I was interrupting a special moment between the two of them._

_The more I thought about the two of them together, the more angry and confused I became. How could this have happened? I just didn't understand!_

_"Mom!"_

_I was pulled out of my thoughts as I looked up to see Aria standing at the door, fear and panic evident all over her face as she saw her journal lying open in my hands._

_As our eyes met, I knew that behind my tears, my eyes only portrayed anger, betrayal, and confusion._

_"How could you?" I asked my daughter in disbelief, as I wiped away the last few tears that had fallen from my eyes._

* * *

><p><span>Aria's POV<span>

As I burst into Ella's room, my worst fears were confirmed as I spotted my journal lying open in her hands.

"How could you?" Ella covered her hands over her mouth in disbelief.

I felt my own eyes welling up with tears as I slowly walked a few steps closer to Ella.

"You read it?" I whispered, terrified. My hands were shaking violently as I spoke, and my heart was pounding against my chest.

How could this have happened? Ella knew everything. I couldn't believe that she had found my journal. I hadn't even been planning to give her those letters. They had just been my way of coping with this whole situation!

I couldn't believe it. Ella knew absolutely everything. After reading my journal, she now knows that I knew all about Byron's affair for over a year, she knows how much I'm struggling with her illness, and worst of all, she knows all about Ezra. She knows everything about Ezra.

"Yes, I read it. I can't even look at you right now." Ella clenched her fists angrily. Her words proved to be true as she avoided my eyes.

I was speechless. For the first time in my life, I was at a complete and utter loss for words.

How could I fix this? I couldn't fix this. Ella was going to hate Ezra. What if she never forgives him? What if she never forgives me?

What was she thinking? What was going through her mind right now? I needed her to talk! I needed her to tell me what she was thinking, so I can prove to her that whatever it was, was wrong!

After a few moments of uneasy and tense silence passed, Ella finally spoke again.

"I trusted him. I trusted you. How dare you begin a relationship with him? You knew it was wrong. Hell, he knew it was wrong, yet you both chose to be selfish and only think of yourselves."

I shook my head in disbelief at Ella's words. How could she say that to me? Yes, I knew that my relationship with Ezra was not the smartest thing in the world, but it wasn't _wrong._ Something this perfect could never be wrong. She had to understand that. She needed to realize that we were absolutely perfect for each other.

"Mom, please." I stammered. "Please just give me a chance to explain this. You need to understand that-" I began, however she was quick to cut me off.

"No. I can't believe you would do something like this. How could you be so irrational? So careless?" She demanded angrily.

"Do you think I meant for this to happen?" I cried, frustration laced throughout my voice. "Do you think I like the fact that I've fallen in love with Ezra? With the person who's supposed to be taking care of me? I never would have let out relationship get to the point it is at if he wasn't so damn important to me. Yes, he's older than me, but when we're together, age doesn't matter. Yes he's dad's colleague, but when we're together that doesn't matter. None of it does. When we're together, the only thing that matters is how much we love each other. Mom, just please try to understand this. The heart wants what it wants. I can't help it. I need to love him." I finished, with fresh tears brimming the corners of my eyes.

"Aria, no. I don't care what the hell you think that you feel towards him; you know that this is wrong. And on another note, you knew? You knew about Byron this whole time, and you didn't tell me. How could you keep something like that from me?"

"I didn't want to see you get hurt!" I exclaimed, as guilt began surging through my veins at the thought of everything I've done. I didn't want to see her get hurt, but I had to realize, that I was the one who hurt her. I hurt her.

"Did you seriously think that I would be more angry to find out that my husband cheated on me, rather than to find out that my husband cheated on me, and my daughter knew about it _the whole time?" _Ella's eyes were red from tears and her hands were scrunched up at her sides in anger.

"What was I supposed to do, Mom? Go up to you one morning, 'Hey mom, I'm leaving for school. And by the way, Dad cheated on you a year ago and I've know about it this whole time.'" I asked desperately, as my own tears fell from my eyes. "Do you think that keeping this secret was easy for me? Do you think I enjoyed lying to you every single day? Seeing you confined to a hospital bed, and not knowing how much your family, your husband, had hurt you?" I cried angrily, as more tears cascaded down my face.

Ella shook her head, not wanting to hear any more of what I had to say.

"I don't care, Aria. It was unfair of Byron to put you in that position, but I still can't believe that you would keep something so important from me… And now with Ezra? I'm calling your father. He has to know about this. I can't believe you would do something like this. How could you be so irrational? So careless?"

"I-" I began, but couldn't find the words to defend myself.

"You are not longer allowed to stay with Ezra. I'll call Aunt May and you and Mike can stay with her for the rest of the time Byron and I are here."

I gasped in disbelief. This couldn't be happening. I couldn't lose Ezra. I just couldn't. Not now.

"Mom, please no!" I begged. "I can't. I need him."

"He's brainwashed you into thinking he cares about you. I can't believe you of all people would fall for that. I expected so much more from you." Ella closed my journal and placed it on her bedside table before turning away from me.

How could she say that to me? She doesn't know anything about my relationship with Ezra, aside from what I've written in the letters. She's never seen us together; she's never seen how much he cares about me. She's never seen how much he loves me. There is no way she could possibly understand.

As the cardiac monitor beside Ella's bed began beeping, I did my best to ignore it.

"Mom, if you just give us a chance, just let us explain to you this situation-" I pleaded.

"Aria, no. This is wrong and you know it. This needs to end. I won't allow this to go on any longer." Ella fumed, her eyes red from anger and tears.

"Mom, no-"

"Aria-"

"Mom, stop!" I cried out in frustration, as more tears fell from my eyes. "Do you understand the fact that my mother is in the hospital battling an incurable deadly disease, I caught my father cheating on my mother a year ago and she just found out about it, and to top everything off, I fell in love with the man who was supposed to "babysit me!" Do you think that this has been a walk in the park for me? You can't understand how much I'm struggling with this! Mom, Ezra cares about me. He's been there for me when I need him. He's let me talk to him when I need someone to listen. He's helped Mike when Mike was in a bad place. He's helping me get through this. Without Ezra, I would have fallen apart a long time ago. Please, mom, I need him!" I finished, tears rapidly falling from my eyes.

"I don't care." Ella snapped. "There is nothing you can say to me that would make this relationship okay."

How could she be so cruel to me? To Ezra? How could she act like this? Does she understand how much I'm struggling with this? Does she understand that Ezra is the reason I've made it through all the pain I've been put through?

"What is going on in here?" A frazzled nurse burst into the room, before scurrying towards the cardiac monitor.

Without another word, I grabbed my journal and my purse from Ella's side table and hurried out of the room before she could say anther word.

However, as I pulled the door open, I almost ran into Ezra.

He furrowed his brows at me for a moment in confusion; however, I didn't want him anywhere near Ella right now.

"Ezra, let's _go_." I grabbed his hand in mine, as a way to prove to Ella what we had, before leading him out of the room.

I stormed out of the hospital, avoiding the awkward looks from the nurses in the hallway who could tell that I had been crying.

The rain pounded onto the street below us, and the dark sky showed signs of a storm in the distance.

Ezra pulled me aside underneath the overhang outside the hospital doors as soon as we exited the hospital.

"What happened in there, Aria?" He asked desperately, searching my eyes for an explanation.

"I-I-I can't-" I began, as I felt my heart beating faster and faster with every second that was passing.

"Aria, take a deep breath," Ezra grabbed my shoulders and tried to make me calm down, however, it was no use.

"Ezra, she knows, she knows everything! She's sitting in there thinking of-" I was unable to finish my sentence when Ezra crushed his lips to mine. The all too familiar surge of energy rushed through my body at the feel of his mouth against mine. It was magic, it was relaxation; it was everything I needed in that moment. His lips were so soft and warm in the cold air. All the worry and tension slowly left my body as Ezra's lips moved gently against mine. A few moments passed before Ezra pulled away, however, I could still feel his breath fanning my face and his eyes looking deep into mine. The smell of his cologne filled me up, and for a moment, I secretly wished that Ella had seen this. That she had seen how special this was.

"Take a deep breath." He commanded, never letting his eyes leave mine.

I closed my eyes and did as I was told, instantly feeling a bit better.

"Now come with me." He took my hand and together we ran through the pouring rain to Ezra's car.

He turned the car on, blasted the heat, and turned towards me.

"Tell me what happened." He took one of my hands in his as he waited for me to explain what had happened inside that one particular hospital room.

"Ella went through my stuff, she found my journal." I whispered anxiously, leaning forward, my voice quivering as I spoke. "She read it, she knows, Ezra. She knows about everything. All of it. How long I kept Byron's secret, that I've fallen in love with you, everything. She knows everything. She doesn't want me staying with you anymore. She's going to call Byron and tell him all about everything that's been going on, Ezra!" I exclaimed, as Ezra held my hands tightly in his, trying to stop them from shaking so violently.

"This is done. It's all over. God knows if Ella's ever going to get out of there, and what if she doesn't even want to come home? Doesn't she hate Byron right now? She said she couldn't even look at me knowing what I had been hiding from her, Ezra! How can I fix this? I can't fix this! God how could I be so stupid? Why did you let me fall in love with you?" I cried desperately, as a new round of tears fell down my rosy cheeks.

"Aria." Ezra's voice trembled, displaying the worry that was beginning to fill him up as well. "Do you think she already told Byron?"

"I have no idea! Although I'm pretty sure that we'd both be dead by now if he knew." My voice was quiet and shaky from the tension that was building up inside of me at the thought of how quickly everything was falling apart.

Ezra turned away from me and looked out the window covered in raindrops. He pulled his hand away from mine and nervously ran his fingers through his hair.

"What are you thinking?" I asked desperately, searching his eyes for a glimpse into what was going through his head.

"I-I'm thinking that-" He paused for a moment, never breaking eye contact with me. "I-I can't lose you, Aria! I can't. And as soon as your father finds out about us, that's exactly what's going to happen!"

I shook my head at the terrible thought. "No." I bit my bottom lip in nervousness. "I can't lose you either, Ezra. I need you."

A few stray tears escaped the corners of my eyes, before softly falling down my cheeks. I couldn't lose Ezra. I couldn't handle it. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I lost him.

"I'll fight for you. No matter what happens." He assured me, with tears in his own eyes. "I promise."

Wordlessly, I leaned towards him and gently pressed my lips against his. Those damn sparks ran through my body once again and I felt something fill me up that I hadn't felt in a long time. It felt pure. It felt innocent. It felt magical. All I could think of was how wonderful Ezra's mouth felt against mine. The feeling of the soft skin at the nape of his neck, at the tips of my fingers. The feeling of his fingers tangling in my hair. The feeling of love filling me up.

"Thank you," I whispered against his lips.

**Sorry I've been MIA, school has been pretty crazy. I feel like not many people are interested in this story anymore… I hope that you forgive me for updating so sporadically. Reading through the reviews for the last chapter is what pushed me to write again after so long. They really do help. **

**Review please! **


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